Amazed to come on bluemoon tonight and not see a topic on this already.
The Guardian today released an article detailing how the UAE, led by Abu Dhabi, has been placing political and economic pressure on the UK and David Cameron into coming down on the Muslim Brotherhood.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/20...otherhood-or-lose-arms-deals?CMP=share_btn_tw
What the article actually shows in that Khaldoon was directly involved in these meetings with UK officials, and Simon Pearce (a board director at City) actually wrote the Abu Dhabi ruling crown prince's briefing notes for when he met David Cameron and was seeking to pressure the UK into coming down on the MB.
The UAE see the MB as a big threat to them and want to see the UK help aid them in politically suppressing them.
Dangling carrots like billion pound arm deals and letting BP drill for oil in the gulf if Britain complied.
How are you lot not discussing this?
Our name has been dragged directly into this messy mire, and I thought there'd be a huge discussion on this.
This is the first time it's happened post takeover, and it's bad news from my perspective. Doesn't flatter us.
A part of me also worries about the potential implications it could have for us in respect of becoming a target for terrorist attacks. Premier League clubs would in theory be a prime target anyway, but our direct links to this quagmire must surely make us a taller nail for nutters?
I had quite a fascinating discussion on reddit with a rag from the UAE not so long ago, and he absolutely despised Sheikh Mansour. IIRC this discussion came about via a general debate in a thread about FFP. I relentlessly took the piss out of him for said hate as I saw it as nothing more than rag bitterness, while they're being bummed by the Glazers and a sheikh from his country (I think he was actually from Abu Dhabi) is pouring his wealth (and in his opinion, his country's GDP) into a rival club (a quote delicious irony).
But after a long discussion, I actually learnt the depth of this guy's ire for sheikhs as a whole, as an actual entity. How he sees the sheikhs as enemies of ordinary Sunnis, how in his opinion they're overwhelmingly self centred and only care about their own wealth and power. How he believes they have blood on their hands because of interventions in Yemen and even against IS in Syria (which he said he didn't support). That they're supporting Assad in a genocide against Sunnis, that Shias are committing genocide against Sunnis in the ME and the UAE does nothing. That he doesn't believe the Sunnis, Shias, or Christians can peacefully exist in the ME any longer, and have to live in separates states/counties with new borders, but that'll never happen because the U.S. will oppose it and so would the likes of the UAE.
Effectively what he was saying is that the Sunnis are becoming more insular, and want to live closer to their faith and not under the current paradigm of Western led states and allies, under the 'oppression' of UAE sheikhs in the gulf for example. That this was a growing feeling across the ME. And that the sheikhs in the UAE desperately fear civil war and uprisings in their own states, motivated by what's happening elsewhere in the UAE, and a rejection of the current state of affairs.
He had some pretty 'out there' views, to say the least. I put it to him that he was an IS sympathiser, which he vehemently denied and to seemingly great offence, although I still held my doubts.
Basically, what I was able to deduce from the discussion, which was unusually forthright, was that a lot of people feel, and think, like him in the Muslim world, and that's a scary fucking thought.
And this article brought that discussion back to me, as that was clearly in the likes of Khaldoon's mind when discussing the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood with British officials.
But now our name is being directly dragged into this unsightly mess.
Anyone else have any thoughts on this?
