| The Qatari Interior Ministry recently revoked the citizenship of 5,266 Qatari men, women, and children, all of them members of the Al-Ghfran tribe, which is a sub-group of the Aal-Marra tribe. The official reason given was that the members of this tribe hold both Qatari and Saudi citizenship. The real reason, however, seems to be that several members of the Aal-Marra tribe were apparently involved in the 1996 coup attempt. Following the move, Qatari authorities cut off electricity and water supplies to the homes of the tribe members. Their salaries were cut off, and they were denied education, health, and other services. Many were pressured to leave Qatar, and about 3,500 of them emigrated to southern Saudi Arabia where they had relatives. Those who were outside Qatar at the time of the decision to revoke their citizenship were prohibited from reentering the country. The arbitrary measure sparked criticism throughout the Gulf, and particularly in Saudi Arabia. Some human rights organizations called on the Qatar government to rescind the measure. Saudi newspapers condemned the Qatari authorities and attacked the complete absence of coverage of the issue by the Al-Jazeera TV channel. The following is an Arab media review of the affair:... |