JEDDAH: Qatari poet Mohammed bin Fitees Al-Murri, winner of the hit TV contest “The Millions’ Poet,” has been stripped of his citizenship for supporting Saudi Arabia in its dispute with Doha.
He also reportedly called on his government to stop supporting terrorists in the Middle East, and criticized its politicization of Hajj.
Doha accused Saudi Arabia of politicizing the pilgrimage. The Kingdom denied the claim and opened its borders to all Qatari pilgrims.
The situation has deteriorated to the point of “offending prominent figures and symbols in the Gulf, and this doesn’t satisfy Muslims,” Al-Murri said.
“The encroachment on the sanctities, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (King Salman) and scholars is a line of fire, which we don’t allow to be crossed or attacked,” the poet added.
“What prompted me to talk is my precious country, and my concern for its security, safety and stability, as well as my fear of the unknown future,” he continued.
“We, the Qatari people, hope that the crisis will be resolved as soon as possible. I’m a Qatari and Gulf citizen, and my loyalty to Qatar is unchanged, but at the same time I’m with the unity of the Gulf, and I’m keen on the security and cohesion of the Gulf countries.”
Last month, Al-Murrah tribal chief Sheikh Taleb and 54 relatives were stripped of their Qatari citizenship, in a move slammed as “collective punishment” by human rights groups. This followed Doha reportedly forcing 6,000 tribal members to leave Qatar.
The Saudi National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) condemned the withdrawal of citizenship of the 55 Qataris, including women and children.
French magazine Le Point recently reported that Qatari Emir Tamim Al-Thani ordered the imprisonment of 20 members of his ruling family on charges of supporting the Anti-Terror Quarter (ATQ) — comprising Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain — at Doha’s expense.
Meanwhile, Twitter users condemned Doha’s action against Al-Murri in the trending hashtag #WithdrawalOfMuhammadBinFiteesCitizenship.
“People of Qatar, we need a dose of courage to break… the rule of the police state,” tweeted Qatari opposition spokesman Khalid Al-Hail.
“You will see many of the likes of Muhammed bin Fitees in the coming days.”
Mazen Al-Olaiwy tweeted: “Citizenship is a human right that shouldn’t be taken from the country’s people... Revoking it from its owners is an indicator of (Qatar’s) collapse.”
The withdrawal of Al-Murri’s citizenship was an “expected move by a scared and cowardly government,” tweeted @skyline_dreams1.
@no7glb asked of Qatar: “Where’s the freedom of expression you claim to have?”