A controversial statement allegedly made by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, has shocked many Arab countries but there is one question that needs to be answered before anybody draws a possible conclusion. Is the statement real or fake as claimed by Qatar government?
The Qatar News Agency (QNA) published alleged speech made by the Emir of Qatar at the military graduation ceremony in the North Camp field earlier this week. It racked up a huge controversy as he touched several topics, including Iran, US, Hamas and al-Qaeda. Now, the state-run news agency has said that its website was hacked and that the statements of the Emir of Qatar are fake.
What the Qatar government says
The Government Communications Office has said in a statement that the "QNA website has been hacked by an unknown entity" and denied the Emir of Qatar making such a statement. It said "The statement published has no basis whatsoever, and that the competent authorities in the State of Qatar will hold all those responsible accountable."
Was QNA website really hacked?
The claim that the QNA website was hacked may or may not be fake, but a report by Al Arabiya has said that the Emir of Qatar could have made the statement citing a few hints. It said the controversial statements were published on the state-run news agency Instagram account (Arabic) and on the Google Plus account which are not easy to be hacked.
The report went on to say that the statement was aired on the Qatari television channel during the news bulletin much before the claim of the website being hacked surfaced, and that the news agency's Instagram account in English was deactivated after publishing it.
What is the controversy and its effect?
The Emir of Qatar allegedly said at the military graduation ceremony in the North Camp field that Doha acknowledges Iran as an "Islamic power," and Hamas as the official representative of Palestinians while many countries consider it as a terrorist organisation, according to Al Arabiya. He also reportedly said that the country has tension with the Trump administration but share a good relation with Israel.
The alleged fake remarks of the head of Qatar has reportedly not gown down too well with countries like the Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which don't have a good relationship with the country. It is reported that the UAE has even blocked Arabic website and phone applications of Qatar-based media channel al-Jazeera in a suspected retribution to the controversy.
Nobody knows if the alleged statements of the Emir of Qatar are real but it has the potential to invite stern reaction from neighbouring countries if it turns out true.
(Truth behind Qatar's controversial statements: A video by Al Arabiya English)
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