With the United States taking the lead in ramping up the fight against radical terrorists in the region, wealthy Gulf countries are exerting pressure on Qatar to expel exiled Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood officials. After the 2013 Egyptian military coup, the group was designated a terrorist organization and a massive wave of arrests forced Muslim Brotherhood officials to flee the country. In June, an Egyptian court upheld the death penalty for a Brotherhood leader and 182 supporters, sending shock waves across the world.
The wealthy Gulf countries, mainly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, also consider the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. In a quasi-secret November 2013 agreement with Qatar, they tried to exert pressure on Doha to expel the Muslim Brotherhood officials. It is only now, however, that an agreement to do so is being implemented.
