Sultan Khlaifa al-Khulaifi

Sultan Khlaifa al-Khulaifi (Arabic: سلطان خليفة الخليفي) is a Qatari blogger, human rights activist, and the former Secretary-General of the Swiss-based Alkarama Foundation.

Al-Khulaifi was arrested in Qatar in March 2011 and held for a month without charge. Both before and after his arrest, al-Khulaifi advocated for individuals with close connections to terrorist organizations.

Views

Between early 2009 and 2010, Al-Khulaifi wrote a blog which recorded his personal and political views.[1] In April 2009, al-Khulaifi published a post addressed to the Emir and people of Qatar. In the post, al-Khulaifi criticised the Qatari government for holding secular and what he called “blasphemous” laws about alcohol consumption, bars, and discos. He held the government responsible for the spread of prostitution. Al-Khulaifi called the government "un-Islamismic" because it did not follow the selected Qur'anic texts he provided in his post.[2]

Al-Khulaifi also criticised the policies of the Qatar government concerning Israel. Al-Khulaifi objected to the visit of the Israeli politician, Shimon Peres to Doha. He suggested the Qatar government should sever diplomatic communications with Israel.[2] Al-Khulaifi objected to United States military forces having a presence in Qatar from which to operate in Iraq and Afghanistan.[2]

Al-Khulaifi names Sayyid Qutb’s Milestones as his favorite book. Milestones is based on the Qutbic Islamist ideology.[3]

Human rights activism

Until 2010, Al-Khulaifi served as Secretary-General of the Alkarama Foundation, a Swiss based human rights non-governmental organisation.[4] The Alkarama Foundation stated that al-Khulaifi had left the organization in 2010 "to found a new organization for the defense of human rights".[4][5]

In early 2013, Doha News reported that al-Khulaifi was working with the Geneva-registered Adel Group for Human Rights. The Adel Group for Human Rights primarily examines cases of detention in Qatar.[6] Al-Khulaifi wrote on his blog about such cases.

Arrest and detention

On March 2, 2011, al-Khulaifi was arrested at approximately 9 p.m. at his Doha residence by state security agents.[5][7] The agents searched his house and car for two hours. Alkarama reported that an officer informed al-Khulaifi's wife that the agents had been sent by the Attorney General but that they were unable to produce a judicial warrant.[5] Alkarama was concerned the arrest related to al-Khulaifi's work in the field of human rights.[4] Al-Khulaifi was detained for a month.[6] Following al-Khulaifi's arrest, Amnesty International released a statement of concern which said al-Khulaifi was at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.[8][9]

Al Jazeera noted that Al-Khalaifi's last blog post prior to his arrest had criticized censorship in Qatar. His lawyer stated that he was detained "just for expressing his own opinion, it must be, because [he] was detained three, four, or ten times already by special security and he's still insisting in his own opinion". The Qatari government declined to comment.[10] Al-Khalaifi was released with charge in April.[11]

Reactions

Amnesty International criticized the arrest, calling for al-Khalaifi to have access to his lawyer and family and be guaranteed a fair trial and protection against torture.[7] Front Line described his arrest as "directly related to his legitimate and peaceful work in defence of human rights" and called for his release;[5] Index on Censorship also described him as an imprisoned "human rights activist".[12] Freedom House discussed the incident in its 2012 Freedom in the World report alleging state censorship in Qatar,[11] and Reporters Without Borders included al-Khalaifi on its list of imprisoned netizens.[13]

US conservative watchdog Accuracy in Media later criticized the reporting of the Qatar-owned network Al Jazeera on the al-Khalaifi case, for an article which concluded "The Qatari government could not be contacted for comment". A spokesman asked, "How could they not get comment from the very regime that owns them? That just doesn't make any sense."[14]

Controversies and ties to extremism

Alkarama

Two of the Alkarama Foundation's founding members, Abdulrahman al-Nuaimi and Abd al-Wahhab al-Humayqani, have been listed as "Specially Designated Global Terrorists" by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.[15][16] The Alkarama Foundation is alleged to have funded Islamist groups fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.[17] The president of the Alkarama Foundation, Mohamed Rabaan, is a member of the Global Anti-Aggression Campaign, a group led by Safar bin Abdul Rahman al-Hawali, a former mentor of Osama bin Laden.[18][19][20] The Global Anti-Aggression Campaign, which also lists al-Nuaimi as a member, has supported and hosted members of Hamas.[21][22][23]

The Alkarama Foundation said that al-Khulaifi had contacted the foundation regarding the arbitrary detention of Abdullah Ghanem Mahfouz Muslim Jouar and Salim Hassan Khalifa Rashid al-Kuwari.[4] Jouar, referred to as "al-Khawar" by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, is a member of an al-Qaeda network. According to the Department of the Treasury, Jouar delivered money, messages, and other material support to al-Qaeda elements in Iran and facilitated travel of members to Afghanistan for jihad.[24]

Al-Kuwari, who was based in Qatar was listed by the Department of Treasury as a member of the same network. The listing recorded that al-Kuwari "has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial support to al-Qaeda and has provided funding for al-Qaeda operation". Like Jouar, al-Kuwari has facilitated travel for extremist recruits on behalf of Iran-based senior al-Qaeda members.[24] Alkarama forwarded the concerns for the two men to the Qatari government in the hope of their release.[4]

Association to French Embassy letter

On March 22, 2013, Muhammad Issa al-Bakr and Mansour bin Rashed al-Matroushi were arrested. They were accused of sending a threatening letter sent to the French embassy in protest of France's presence in Mali.[6] According to a Doha News service, the letter demanded that the French government immediately cease its military campaign in Mali "or else you (the French) will be exposing yourselves to the wrath of people who love death as much as you love life". The letter also accused France of killing and torturing Malian Muslims and described France's policies as "terrorist" and "racist".[25] Al-Khulaifi stated that "the letter we sent to the French Embassy carried no threat. It was advice."[6]

The men were placed in solitary confinement from March 23 to March 27, 2013. They were released on April 18, 2013 and were subject to a travel ban.[26] The Doha News service claimed that al-Khulaifi was an associate of the men.[6] Al-Bakr was a coordinator of the Madad Ahl al-Sham charity which was likely a front for an al-Nusra Front financier.[27]

References
  1. سلطان بن خليفة الخليفي (2009-12-21). "سلطان بن خليفة الخليفي". Binkhaleefa.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  2. سلطان بن خليفة الخليفي (2006-07-11). "سلطان بن خليفة الخليفي: رسالة نصح واشفاق إلى أمير وأهل قطر". Binkhaleefa.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  3. "User Profile: سلطان بن خليفة الخليفي". Blogger. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  4. "Qatar: Arrest of Sultan Khulaifi and three other Qatari nationals | Alkarama Foundation". En.alkarama.org. 2011-03-03. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  5. "Qatar: Incommunicado detention of human rights defender Mr Sultan Al-Khalaifi". Front Line Defenders. 9 March 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  6. "Qatari activists held for a week over 'threatening' letter to French embassy - Doha News". Dohanews.co. 2013-03-29. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  7. "Blogger Detained Incommunicado in Qatar". Amnesty International. 3 March 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  8. "Amnesty: Qatari blogger detained". Al Jazeera English. 2011-03-05. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  9. https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde22/001/2011/en/
  10. "Amnesty: Qatari blogger detained". Al Jazeera. 5 March 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  11. "Freedom in the World 2012 - Qatar". Freedom House via UNHCR. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  12. "Human rights activist detained in Qatar". Index on Censorship. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  13. "2012: Netizens imprisoned". Reporters Without Borders. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  14. Sherry Ricchiardi (21 April 2011). "The Al Jazeera Effect". American Journalism Review. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  15. "Ban Ki-Moon shakes hands with alleged al Qaeda emir | FDD's Long War Journal". Longwarjournal.org. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  16. "Treasury Designates Al-Qa'ida Supporters in Qatar and Yemen". Treasury.gov. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  17. Warrick, Joby (2013-12-22). "Islamic charity officials gave millions to al-Qaeda, U.S. says". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  18. "Our people | Alkarama Foundation". En.alkarama.org. 1996-07-31. Archived from the original on 2016-04-10. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  19. "Qawim Arabic Website - ăĚáÓ ĂăäÇÁ ÇáÍăáÉ". Ar.qawim.net. 2006-05-17. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  20. Bergen, Peter L. Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama Bin Laden. New York: Free, 2001. Print.
  21. "Middle East | Clerics urge new jihad over Gaza". BBC News. 2009-02-17. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  22. "الحملة العالمية لمقاومة العدوان تؤكد شمولية المقاومة". Aljazeera.net. 2005-02-24. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  23. ا. "مؤتمر "نصرة الأقصى" يختتم فعالياته باسطنبول". Arabi21.com. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  24. "Treasury Targets Key Al-Qa'ida Funding and Support Network Using Iran as a Critical Transit Point". Treasury.gov. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  25. "Qatari activists' letter to the French Embassy". Scribd.com. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  26. "Document | Amnesty International". Amnesty.org. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  27. "Qatar is still negligent on terror finance". Business Insider. 2015-08-19. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
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