Qatar: Prominent Muslim Brothers leave Doha as alliances shift – a little

Reports that Qatar had expelled several Egyptian members of the Muslim Brotherhood provoked a flurry of reactions in mid-September. Had Doha finally given in to pressure from fellow Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) members, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and renounced its sponsorship and provision of safe havens for members of the Muslim Brotherhood? Doha sought to downplay the news, but many analysts saw it as a move to placate its angry GCC neighbours.Their departure was announced by Amr Darrag, one of the leaders of the Brotherhood’s now-defunct political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party. Others leaving Qatar included Gamal Abdel-Sattar, Essam Teleima, Ashraf Badr El-Din, Mahmoud Hussein and Hamza Zawbaa, as well as firebrand Egyptian preacher Wagdy Abdelhamid Mohammed Ghoneim.