Muslim Brotherhood review: A tale of UK-UAE relations | Middle East Eye
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The UK government published on Thursday the main findings of a review into the Muslim Brotherhood, bringing an end to a story that has been riddled with controversy and raised questions about the influence of foreign interests on British officials.
The review, led by the former UK ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Sir John Jenkins, has not proscribed the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation, but Prime Minister David Cameron has said membership of the group was a “possible indicator of extremism”.
This outcome will likely fall far short of the expectations of the United Arab Emirates, which is known to have played a key – if not crucial – role in the commissioning of the report.
While other Gulf states, principally Saudi Arabia, have been said to have played a role in the review being commissioned, this is ultimately a tale about the most powerful man in the UAE and how his politics has driven British-Emirati relations over the past five years.
In November, the Guardian reported that the UAE had lobbied Cameron to crack down on the Brotherhood in exchange for lucrative arms and oil contracts.
According to the report, several high-profile Emirati figures were involved, but the key lobbying figure was Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, popularly known as MbZ in the Gulf.
MbZ is widely accepted as being the de facto UAE president, with incumbent Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan rarely seen or heard amid rumours he is seriously unwell.
MbZ’s personal vendetta
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