Three prominent Qatari charities and 18 individuals have been accused of funding terrorist organizations by the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain and Saudi.
The nations included their names on a long blacklist released this week that contained personal details such as passport numbers and bank account information.
Authorities in Qatar have denounced the list, saying it “merges fantasy with reality” and avoids common sense.
Qatar Charity, Eid Charity and RAF (the Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services) are all mentioned.
The list also includes members of the ruling family, politicians and controversial Islamic scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al Qaradawi, who is Egyptian-born but now holds Qatari citizenship.
Individuals from Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were also named.
State news agency WAM said that the UAE believes these groups and individuals deserve sanctions because they “have specifically financed, aided and/or provided material support to al-Qaida and its associated organizations and networks. ”
Qatar’s response
However, in a statement, Qatar said it “did not, had not and will not support terrorist groups.”
It added that the four countries have produced something that does not take “the facts, legal considerations, brotherly ties, or the joint destiny of the region into account.”
Many of Qatar’s charities have strong reputations and some even enjoy consultative status with the United Nations, authorities said.
The countries involved did not consult with the UN when drawing up its list. Thus they “have proclaimed themselves a substitute for international legitimacy, and held Qatar to a field court,” they concluded.
Eid Charity also issued a statement about the blacklist, saying that it had never given money to terrorist groups.
“Under no circumstances would the foundation knowingly provide financial or other support to organizations that have been designated by the State of Qatar or the United Nations as being terrorist organizations or providing financial support to terrorism.” it said.
It went on to clarify that one of the men on the “terrorist watchlist,” Dr. Abdulrahman al-Nuaimi, has had no connection with the foundation since he had last served on the charity’s board in 1999.
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