The blockade imposed on Qatar will cause new crises in the region such as the establishment of new military, political and economic alliances, and the division of the Gulf region and the UAE, a senior academic at Qatar University (QU) said on Thursday.
“The political perspective of the blockade countries lies on military anticipation, substituting the concept of settlement with the concept of force, the concept of justice with the concept of blockade, and the concept of self-defence with the concept of terrorism,” QU College of Sharia and Islamic Studies (CSIS) dean Dr Yousuf al-Siddiqi said.
He was speaking at a seminar on “The accusations against Qatar of supporting terrorism” organised by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs at QU to address the issue of terrorism from an academic, legal and political perspective.
The other speakers were QU College of Law (LAWC) dean Dr Mohamed Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi, and QU Professor of Political Sociology Dr Majed al-Ansari. The seminar was moderated by QU Social and Economic Survey Research Institute director Dr Hassan Abdulrahim al-Sayed. 
Dr al-Siddiqi referred to the recent speech of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the UN General Assembly, in which he said: “We must focus on the roots and causes of terrorism.” 
The academic noted that the cultural, economic and social blockade against Qatar caused a negative impact on the structure of the Gulf community and violated traditions and values. He also noted that the list of 13 demands issued by the siege countries is not backed by proof and focuses on two main issues - shut down Al Jazeera and its affiliate stations and sever ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. 
He said: “Qatar plays a pivotal role on the regional and international arena. This caused the emergence of many adversaries among its neighbouring countries, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Qatar does not follow any political agenda led by Saudi Arabia or any other country.”
Ethical crisis
Dr al-Sayed noted that the blockade against Qatar is an ethical crisis in the first place, also pointing to the speech of His Highness the Emir, in which he said: “We have been very saddened to see how some countries have used defamation and fictions against Qatar to stir political malice against us in the West. This is a disgrace under all norms: first because the allegations are baseless, and secondly because they have wrongfully prejudiced. Do we not teach our children at a young age that lying and malicious snitching are two of the worst vices? Is slander and tarnishing a reputation not a crime punishable by law in all civilised countries?”
Dr al-Khulaifi noted that the main three demands of the siege countries - sever all ties to “terrorist organisations”, stop all means of funding for individuals, groups or organisations that have been designated as terrorists, and hand over “terrorist figures” and wanted individuals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain to their countries of origin - are a violation to the principles of the international law. 
“These demands are against the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs, equality in sovereignty, and the principle of implementing the international obligations in good faith and not to abandon them based on a unilateral will without reasonable justification, among many others.
“There is no international law which obliges countries to hand over wanted individuals. Extradition occurs only when specific, bilateral treaties exist between countries. Extradition agreements usually decree that the offence which has triggered the extradition request must be considered a crime in both countries. Many treaties provide for political and human rights exemptions, which can prevent the extradition of a person who is accused of political crimes.”
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