Two American experts on terrorism-related matters have called on US President Donald Trump's administration to punish Qatar for supporting and financing terror. In an opinion article published in the Newsweek magazine, the experts, Muhammad Fraser-Rahim and Mohamed A. Fatah, have urged the administration to designate Qatar as a state sponsor of terrorism and pressure it to change course. The two said successive American administrations had accused Qatar of sponsoring terrorism and that the Trump administration must also follow suit. It should take a stand and punish Qatar and sanction its leaders and state-owned institutions to pressurize Doha to amend its wayward ways. The experts further urged the administration to take further steps against Qatar and to suspend all arms sales to the Gulf state until it deports all members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Taliban and Al-Shabab currently in that county. Qatar should also be made to stop all financial and material support to these terrorists and other such organizations. They suggested the suspension of all import and export bank financing to Qatar's state-owned businesses. American financial institutions must also be asked to reduce their business dealings with Qatar as part of a broad risk-reducing strategy. The experts further noted that other countries should also follow the example of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt by sending a clear message to Qatar that the membership of the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council is a big responsibility. It is not a license to undermine the security and stability of Arab and Islamic countries to favor Iran, Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood.
