Ronn Torossian: Selling Sharia: Qatar Hires a UK PR Agency

by Ronn Torossian


The Middle Eastern Emirate of Qatar is a country ruled, in part, by Sharia law.  One of the world’s wealthiest countries, it hast a questionable human rights record -

Qatari poet Mohammed al-Ajami was sentenced to 15 years in prison for writing a poem against the country’s emir.  Sodomy is punishable by 5 years in jail – in 1995, an America couple was sentenced to 6 months in jail, and 90 lashes for homosexual activity. In 2013, Qatar joined a coalition of other countries in vowing to administer a “homosexual test” to visitors, in an effort to restrict gays’ entrance to the country.

In certain areas of the nation’s court, a woman’s testimony is worth half that of a man’s – and in some cases women witnesses are not permitted. Qatar discriminates against gays and women, and imprisons people for free speech.

Qatar funds Hamas, which the United States and Europe recognize as a terror organization.  Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have all recalled their ambassadors from Qatar to protest its support of terror organizations.

Against this backdrop, this week it was revealed that this extremist nation has hired one of the world’s largest PR Agencies, Portland Communications “for a communications/political push targeted at Congress and federal agencies to improve ties with the US.”

As Israel National News recently reported, “a coalition of British pro-Israel activists held a hard-hitting flash-mob protest against the Qatari government in London Friday, in what they say is just the opening salvo in their battle to force the oil-rich gulf state to end its funding of Islamist terrorism throughout the Middle East.” They protested Qatar’s continued support of Islamic terror – and further noted in a statement that "Qatar is also a safe haven for known terrorist leaders and for its support of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, an extremist organization instrumental in ousting President Hosni Mubarak during the Arab Spring. The organization’s spiritual leader, Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi, uses Qatar as his base, as does Hamas leader Khaled Mashal.”

Qatar’s new PR firm is chaired by Tim Allan, a former adviser to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.  Qatar is concerned about pressure – and its important pressure is now trained on the West.
 


Ronn Torossian

Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/15691#.VCBoQBZ6h-g

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