The Qatari-Saudi crisis is complicated, but one thing is clear – Al Jazeera should not be shut down

For its rivals to require that the plug be pulled on the Doha-based service is a remarkable and outrageous step; and ultimately an assault on press freedom, precious little of which exists in the region

Qatar has come under pressure from the Saudi Kingdom to close Al Jazeera (Reuters)

It is a month since four Middle East powers, led by Saudi Arabia, cut off ties with their regional neighbour Qatar. The diplomatic and economic sanctions imposed on the small Gulf state have been severe; not least because the nation relies on imports for a wide range of everyday goods.

The breakdown of relationships has been a fair time coming. Qatar has long stood accused of being too sympathetic to Islamist groups; its critics claim it has directly or indirectly supported and harboured terrorists and has bolstered extremist groups by paying large ransoms to secure the release of kidnapped Qatari nationals. The Qatari government strongly disputes the allegations.

Saudi Arabia, along with Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE, has laid down a list of demands which it says Qatar must accede to if relations are to be restored. Among them is the shutting down of the state-funded broadcaster, Al Jazeera (and affiliated outlets), which for two decades has been a thorn in the side of most Middle Eastern powers. Qatar’s critics contend the service – at least its Arabic version, as opposed to Al Jazeera English – has, with the approval of the authorities, given a platform to fundamentalists and been sympathetic to terror organisations including Isis.

Such criticism of the broadcast network cannot be wholly discounted. Al Jazeera has employed terminology in respect of Isis, for instance, which is a great deal more neutral than other Arabic broadcasters – notably it does not employ the pejorative word “Daesh”. It has given airtime to hardline clerics who critics accuse of being demonstrably anti-Semitic. It would, in short, be wrong to conclude that Al Jazeera is beyond reproach.

Nevertheless, for its rivals to require that the plug be pulled on the Doha-based service is a remarkable and outrageous step; and ultimately an assault on press freedom, precious little of which exists in the region. That isn’t to say Al Jazeera is wholly independent of interference from Qatar’s rulers, but all things are comparative; other broadcasters in the Middle East are strictly controlled.

The truth is, the Saudi regime and its allies do not like and do not trust Al Jazeera’s influence. It has become the go-to channel for many millions of people across the Arab world and it has rarely dodged controversy. Its coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings angered regimes which were on the ropes and it has enabled the Muslim Brotherhood to have its voice heard in countries where it was once at the head of revolutionary movements. To the increasingly troubling autocracies of the region, Al Jazeera is not only an irritant but a fomenter of unrest. But none of this constitutes a valid reason to dismantle a news organisation.

Of course, the great irony in all this is the degree to which Saudi Arabia itself stands accused of the same “crime” as Qatar, in terms of promoting and supporting extremist ideologies and even terrorists. A new report by the Henry Jackson Society suggests that Saudi Arabia deliberately funds mosques and educational centres overseas, including in the UK, to inculcate the “illiberal and bigoted” ideology that is at the root of Wahhabi doctrine. Like their counterparts in Doha, rulers in Riyadh deny any and all such allegations connecting the ruling family to extremism.

What should also not pass without comment is the degree to which Saudi Arabia appears to have been emboldened by the recent visit of US President Donald Trump. Not only did Trump signal his intent to do some serious arms business with the Saudi royal family, he also lapped up assurances that the Saudis were cracking down on anyone found to be funding terror. No wonder King Salman and his friends felt they could take steps against Qatar just a week or two later. Indeed, when the sanctions were announced Trump effectively tweeted his approval, telling his followers that when it came to financing terrorism, “all references point to Qatar”.

It would be immensely more helpful if the leader of a nation that champions freedom of expression in its own constitution would send an alternative message: calls for the closure of Al Jazeera must be condemned.