While they finance the da’awa and the  jihad abroad they make sure the radical headbangers don’t take things over the edge at home.
Islamist Threat Unmasks Emirates Policy Shift as Immunity Fades
Oct. 22 (Bloomberg) — When the military seized power in Egypt in July, the cable of congratulations from the United Arab Emirates took less than an hour.
A day earlier, judges in Abu Dhabi had sentenced 69 people to jail for plotting to destabilize the desert nation. They were alleged members of Islah, an Islamist group the government says has ties with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. Next month, 30 Egyptians and Emiratis will go on trial accused of setting up a branch of the Brotherhood in the U.A.E.
“It needs to crush the Brotherhood in Egypt to crush the movement at home,” said Ghanem Nuseibeh, the London-based founder of Cornerstone Global Associates, which advises clients on risk in the Middle East. “Since the Brotherhood is based in Egypt, the fight had to happen on its home turf.”
Dubai and neighboring Abu Dhabi, the U.A.E.’s two richest emirates, are known more for their skyscrapers, luxury hotels and malls than Islamists. The relative immunity from regional conflict was key to attracting investors, tourists and expatriates. Yet away from the glitz, the fight against Islamists represents a shift in foreign policy, said Nuseibeh.
Continue reading The Rich Arabs in the Emirates Fear the MuBro Zealots











