It is important that critics of the UAE are open about their motivations. But this tendency of Islamists to hide in the shadows is not limited to those sympathisers who snipe at the Gulf states from abroad. It is in fact a view of the world that goes to the core of what it means to be an Islamist.
Take, as an example, and an enormously instructive one – the behaviour of the Muslim Brotherhood when it came to power in Egypt. After he became Egypt's president, Mohammed Morsi was pressured to explain his relationship with Mohammed Badie, the spiritual guide of the Muslim Brotherhood. All members of the Brotherhood are required to swear allegiance to Mr Badie – including Mr Morsi, who was then the elected leader of Egypt. It was a source of legitimate interest for those who had elected him whether he was being influenced by an unelected "guide" – but Mr Morsi did not see fit to explain.
Similarly, when Mr Morsi sought to grant himself wide ranging powers at the end of 2012, he did not do so through a consensual process – rather he simply decreed himself those powers and sought to bully his way through when public opinion turned against him. This is the Brotherhood’s modus operandi, to hide in the shadows and seek to grab power by proxy. It is the reason why the UAE has sought to remove Islah root and branch from the country and why Egyptians rejected Mr Morsi’s government.
Nor is the behaviour of Islamists of interest solely to the Arab countries. In our investigation yesterday, we noted the Islamist links of the Muslim Association of Britain, an organisation for British Muslims. The Brotherhood has some influence with policy-makers and communities in the UK – but how many are aware of its Islamist sympathies? If Islamists believe their ideas are the best for the UK, why not talk of them openly?
This is why the UAE is so opposed to Islamists: because they speak the language that suits them but plot to spread their ideology regardless. In the UAE, Islah spoke of unity and reform, but pursued an anti-government agenda. In the UK, the Brotherhood speaks of community, but hides the true beliefs of its organisations. In Egypt, Mr Morsi spoke the language of the revolution, while seeking to undermine its gains. And nowhere, still, has an Islamist government actually made a country safer, more stable or more prosperous.
