Muslim Brothers attack UAE as they seek to annex Egypt to Shia crescent

The United Arab Emirates found itself once again compelled to respond to the ‘biased’ accusations of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, denying claims that it was among the many countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to fund the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

The wave of accusations was launched by Hazem Salah Abou Ismail, founder of the Rayah Party, who claimed that Arab countries are financing the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

On his TV show on Amgad satellite channel, Abou Ismail added that "Arab countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have paid Ethiopia to reclaim large expanses of land."

The Ethiopian Renaissance Dam poses a threat to Egypt, he said, “because it will reduce our water supply and we will not have enough to drink. Egypt will be barren."

He pointed out that revolutionary youths should be aware of the complicated web of interests at play.

Analysts say that the strong Emirati response seeks to call the attention of the Egyptian people to the need to address the ongoing systematic damage the Brotherhood has been causing to the historical relations between Egypt, the UAE, and the Arab Gulf countries in general.

According to experts, the Muslim Brotherhood has been trying to sever the strong bonds between Egypt and the Arab world for the benefit of a growing relationship with Iran.

Recent news reports from Egypt indicate that the Muslim Brotherhood, tempted by the Iranian financial and economic support, has become more tolerant and to some extent supportive of the campaign to spread Shiism in Egypt.

The Emirati newspaper ‘Al Khaleej’ said, “The insistence of some Egyptian newspapers on insulting the UAE is unfortunate. It is also improper to spread and repeat lies and falsehood. Some sick and hateful individuals are trying to undermine the image of the UAE by repeating the lie that the Arab Gulf country is funding the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.”

Reacting to the new rumour, the Egyptian comments on Twitter reflected a mounting popular anger against the spread of lies by the Muslim Brotherhood. In their tweets, many Egyptians accused the Islamist movement of trying to circumvent the real problems by raising side issues through the fabrication of false news with the aim of distracting the public opinion.

In one remark on Twitter, an Egyptian national said, “Hazem Abou Ismail is a failed Islamist who forgot that his traditional and eternal enemy is Israel. And you, Egyptians, are still sleeping. Abou Ismail is no more than a cafe Hakawati (teller of tales)”.

Speaking at the conclusion of the Fifth meeting of the Arab Water Ministers Council, the UAE's Minister for Environment and Water, Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad, stressed the right of Arab states to access safe and clean water as a human right.

"Patience and diplomatic relations are the way to solving this issue. The Nile Basin countries are able to do that through agreements and relevant legal frameworks," he said.

Analysts believe that the launch of the rumour at this particular juncture is not innocent from a regional point of view especially that the countries targeted are the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

They add that the spread of this falsehood coincides with the Gulf countries’ announcement of punitive measures against the crimes of the Iranian-backed Shiite group, Hezbollah.

Sources from Al-Azhar spoke, a few weeks ago, about a huge Iranian aid offer of about $ 30 billion to Egypt, in return for the re-establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.