In stark contrast to the UAE’s reasoned approach, the Muslim Brotherhood and their affiliates once again revealed their ideological opportunism.

In a region often engulfed by volatility, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has once again demonstrated a model of leadership anchored in wisdom, composure, and humanitarian foresight. As regional tensions flared with unprecedented developments — including direct Israeli-Iranian confrontation and the reported U.S. strike on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility — many voices in the Middle East amplified fear, fury, and geopolitical brinkmanship.

Yet amid the escalating chaos, the UAE stood apart.

In just one week, the UAE issued calls for peace, defended its regional allies, and even raised its voice for Christian minorities suffering in Syria. Such gestures are not symbolic. They reflect a deliberate and long-standing strategic posture built on restraint, diplomacy, and the rejection of opportunistic extremism.

This is not a coincidence. It is a byproduct of a mature political doctrine that places regional stability, mutual respect, and human dignity at the forefront of foreign policy. In doing so, the UAE has emerged as a rare stabilizing force in a region grappling with ideological polarization, misinformation, and non-state provocateurs.

Calm in the Eye of the Storm

As the shockwaves from the Iran-Israel escalation rippled across the region, the UAE urged calm and rational diplomacy, resisting pressure to be drawn into ideological camps. It chose principles over populism. Where others reacted impulsively, the UAE calculated responses, earning global recognition for its sober leadership.

This diplomatic discipline was mirrored by Emirati society itself. Commentators, academics, and ordinary citizens displayed a deep understanding of the broader geopolitical picture. Their reactions, seen across digital platforms, were marked not by inflammatory slogans but by reflection, strategy, and responsibility — a civic maturity rarely visible during crises.

While some in the region took to inciting outrage and division, Emiratis engaged in discourse grounded in reason and national interest. This alignment between state and society — both calling for stability and rejecting chaos — is a testament to the UAE’s successful nation-building model and inclusive governance.

A Stark Contrast: The Brotherhood’s Cynical Opportunism

In stark contrast to the UAE’s reasoned approach, the Muslim Brotherhood and their affiliates once again revealed their ideological opportunism. Instead of advocating for peace, the Brotherhood released a provocative open letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — a move widely interpreted as an attempt to escalate tensions and further their political agenda.

For decades, the Brotherhood has exploited regional crises to gain ideological traction. This time was no different. Amid a potential regional war, they sought to deepen divisions, reignite sectarian narratives, and inject conspiracy-laden rhetoric into public discourse. Their strategy is neither new nor sophisticated: stir emotions, provoke division, and capitalize on conflict.

Their goal? Not the well-being of Muslim nations or the resolution of conflict — but the reassertion of their fading relevance through ideological disruption.

Imam Mohammad Tawhidi, a respected Muslim scholar and counter-extremism activist, captured this reality succinctly: “If there is one entity unhappy that the conflict ended in 12 days, it is the Brotherhood.” Indeed, what the region desperately sought was de-escalation — what the Brotherhood desired was perpetual instability.

This ideological sabotage, masked as religious solidarity, is not only dishonest but dangerous. It has no place in a region striving toward progress, modernization, and peace.

The UAE’s Doctrine: Stability with Strength

The UAE’s principled response reveals a leadership that does not see diplomacy as weakness, but as strategic strength. Whether defending Gulf allies, promoting interfaith respect, or leading humanitarian efforts from Syria to Sudan, the UAE continues to redefine leadership in the Arab world.

Its approach is grounded in credibility, consistency, and clarity. When the Emirates advocate for the rights of Christian minorities or invest in African development, it does so without fanfare but with resolve — embodying the values of coexistence and shared destiny.

This clarity of purpose — especially amid complex crises — is what makes the UAE’s leadership model so distinct. It neither panders to extremist narratives nor retreats from regional responsibility. Instead, it anchors its foreign policy in realism tempered with moral vision.

A Model for the Region and the World

At a time when ideological agitators seek to reignite old fault lines, the UAE’s leadership offers a blueprint for constructive statecraft. It balances national security with regional cooperation, religious respect with zero tolerance for extremism, and diplomacy with unshakeable resolve.

As Imam Tawhidi notes, “This is not merely a position. It is a responsibility. And the UAE, once again, has proven it is ready to shoulder it.”

In a world too often destabilized by emotional politics and ideological exploitation, the UAE’s example deserves greater recognition. It is not just navigating the storm — it is setting a course for peace.

UK-based strategic political affairs expert Taha tweeted, “All in a day. Unmatched leadership. MbZ meets with Afghan minister; arrives in Qatar; welcomes Israeli president to the UAE. HH MbZ overcomes divisions in the region, advances regional peace, and creates a better future. Others watch and learn”.

UAE-based Political commentator Hassan Sajwani said, “Truly, the world needs to learn from MbZ”.

British Broadcaster Jonny Gould commented, “This is robust and positive foreign policy in action”.

Pakistan-based political expert Ahmed Quraishi appreciated Taha’s tweet and said, “Excellent Observation”.

New York-based Social Media Influencer Dr. Islam Mohammed said, “The Arabs must return to a union because we have been one hand throughout the ages and we did not differ in any case, a wonderful start from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and an initiative towards peace that will not be disturbed by anything after that, we are the Arabs”.

MBZ is the third president of UAE and the ruler of Abu Dhabi. He is highly regarded leader whose visionary policies are applauded throughout the Middle-East region. 

In the current times, UAE plays a significant role in building bridges and formulating peace — one of the key achievements is Abraham Accords with Israel. 

Dalia Ziada

UAE’s chase of the Islamist organizations is expected to intensify under Sheikh Mohammed leadership

At the age of 61, the world-renowned Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed has become the third president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). After the death of his elder brother Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed, on May 13th, the UAE’s Federal National Council elected him to lead the country that he devotedly participated in making one of the most powerful actors in the region, during the past decade. Even more, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed’s ascendance to the peak of power marks the beginning of a new era, not only for the UAE, but more broadly for the Gulf region, and consequently, the entire Middle East.

Many observers are wondering about what to expect from the new president of the UAE. But this is the wrong question to ask. No big shifts in the UAE’s domestic or foreign policy are expected to occur upon the change of the country’s leadership. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed has always been in charge. He is the man who, publicly or discreetly, engineered most of the impressive reality of today’s UAE. From a Bedouin desert where people could not aspire for more than day-to-day living, the family of Zayed Al-Nahyan created a coveted country with a vision and mission that exceed its geographic borders and limited space. At least for the past 15 years, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed has been in the center of the decision-making circle that built on Sheikh Zayed’s legacy and continued the path to UAE’s growth.

The general stability of the economic and political system, and the lack of competition among the ruling families of the sister Emirates that comprise the federal state, will save Sheikh Mohammed a lot of time in selecting and appointing the co-leaders who will act as pillars of support to his rule. That includes the royals who will replace him in the positions of the Crown Prince and the Deputy Minister of Defense. As soon as he gets done with that, the new President will have the time and the space needed to focus all his efforts on enhancing and accelerating his foreign policy vision, in the region and beyond.

The core theme of the UAE’s foreign policy could be summarized in three key points. The first is about fighting against all forms of religious extremism. That is not limited to jihadist organizations, such as the Sunni Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State terrorists (Daesh), and the Shiite Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. It, also includes, political Islamist organizations, like the Muslim Brotherhood and their flanks and sympathizers in the Gulf. As UAE’s chase of the Islamist organizations is expected to intensify under Sheikh Mohammed leadership, that may renew the rivalry between the UAE and its neighbor Qatar which adopts a contrary policy of supporting Islamists of all types.

The second point the defines UAE’s foreign policy is about reaching out and enhancing ties with the non-Arab countries of the Middle East; namely Turkey, Israel and Iran. Over the past three years, in particular, the UAE has been valiantly active on breaking one political taboo after the other, starting from signing the Abraham Accords with Israel, in 2020, up to fixing broken ties with Iran and Turkey, following the hasty withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan last summer.

The third key point in UAE’s foreign policy vision is about continuously boosting the defense power and armament capabilities of the UAE military. That is mainly through pouring large investments in acquiring high-end weapons from the United States and Europe. In 2020, the UAE signed a deal with the former U.S. Administration of President Trump to acquire the advanced F-35 fighter jets and other weapons for 23 billion dollars. When the following Administration of President Biden delayed the fulfilment of the deal, the UAE moved on with making another deal with France to purchase 80 pieces of its trademark Rafale fighter jets for 19 billion dollars.

Any other movement by the UAE on the world stage is basically motivated by one or more of these particular three key points. That includes the UAE’s firm stance, in conformity with Saudi Arabia’s position, towards the Russia-Ukraine war, despite the several pleas by western leaders for the Gulf countries to side with the west against Russia. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are not necessarily supporting the Russian offensive, by refusing to side with the west. In fact, they voted against the Russian invasion on Ukraine in the United Nations Security Council. However, they cannot side with the west if the west is not helping them fulfil their foreign and defense policy goals.

In that sense, the right question to ask is not about what Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed is expected to do as president. That we can easily derive the answer for. However, one should ask how the world should prepare to deal with a tenfold more powerful UAE under the leadership of the staunch and invincible Mohammed Bin Zayed.

Piece first published on Levant News.

Working behind the scenes for years as de facto leader, Sheikh Mohammed, 61, transformed the UAE military into a high-tech force, which coupled with its oil wealth and business hub status, extended Emirati influence internationally.

Mohammed began wielding power in a period when his half-brother President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, who died on Friday, suffered bouts of illness, including a stroke in 2014.

MbZ, as he is known, was driven by a “certain fatalistic line of thinking” that Gulf Arab rulers could no longer rely on their main supporter the United States, according to former U.S. envoy to the UAE Barbara Leaf, especially after Washington abandoned Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak during the 2011 Arab Spring.

From his power base in the capital Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed issued a “calm and cold” warning to then-President Barack Obama not to back uprisings that could spread and endanger Gulf dynastic rule, according to Obama’s memoir, which described MbZ as the “savviest” Gulf leader.

A U.S. State Department official serving in the Biden administration, which has had fraught ties with the UAE in recent months, described him as a strategist who brings historical perspective to discussions.

“He will talk not only about the present, but go back years, decades, in some cases, speaking to trends over time,” the official said.

Stability Foremost

Although he says he was attracted to their Islamist ideology in his youth, MbZ has framed the Muslim Brotherhood as one of the gravest threats to stability in the Middle East.

Like Saudi Arabia, the UAE holds the Brotherhood of betrayal after it sheltered members persecuted in Egypt in the 1960s, only to see them work for change in their host countries.

“I am an Arab, I am a Muslim, and I pray. And in the 1970s and early 1980s I was one of them. I believe these guys have an agenda,” MbZ said in a 2007 meeting with U.S. officials, according to Wikileaks.

Educated in the UAE and the military officer’s college at Sandhurst in Britain, Sheikh Mohammed’s mistrust of Islamists heightened after 2001, when two of his countrymen were among the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

“He looked around and saw that many of the younger generation in the region were very attracted to Osama bin Laden’s anti-Western mantra,” another diplomat said. “As he once said to me: ‘If they can do it to you, they can do it to us.'”

Despite years of enmity, MbZ chose to engage with Iran and Turkey as COVID-19 and rising economic competition with Saudi Arabia turned focus to development, pushing the UAE towards further liberalisation while keeping a lid on political dissent.

Seen as a moderniser at home and a charismatic people’s man by many diplomats, MbZ promoted the previously low-profile Abu Dhabi, which holds the UAE’s oil wealth, by spurring development in energy, infrastructure and technology.

As deputy supreme commander of armed forces he was credited with turning the UAE military into one of the most effective in the Arab world, according to experts who say he instituted military service to instil nationalism rather than entitlement among an affluent population.

“He doesn’t beat around the bush … he wants to know what isn’t working well, not just what’s working,” said a source with access to Sheikh Mohammed.

Saudi Arabia is a monarchy, meaning decisions can be made super fast directly from the King.

A brief look at the number of people who have died in GCC countries compared to the most advanced western countries reveals a stark contrast. This has been a shock for many people as the Arab world is often portrayed in the media as backward.

As of 2 June 2020 deaths in the GCC nations stand at: Saudi Arabia (525), UAE (266), Kuwait (220), Oman (50), Bahrain (19). Let’s compare this to some of the most advanced western countries top the number of deaths: USA (106,925), UK (39,045), Italy (22,475), France (30,046), Belgium (9,486), Germany (8,618), Canada (7,326).

One can not help but wonder how that has been possible since a large part of these country’s GDP relies on foreign visitors whether in the form of tourists in the UAE or the millions of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.

Three factors stand out to explain why the Arab nations may have combated this pandemic better than the west.

1. Early Lockdown

The GCC would have been forgiven to not lockdown early due to a large part of their GDP coming from welcoming outsiders into their country. Whether being a world leader in tourism like the UAE or seeing the most pilgrims in the world arrive in your country like Saudi Arabia, there was no hesitation to lockdown the country early.

Even the two Holy Mosques in Saudi Arabia were totally locked down, which can not have been an easy decision.

This meant foreigners had to leave, the citizens had to stay at home and strict curfews dictated when you can leave your home and where to. Freedom of movement between cities was also restricted. This meant both quarantining and social distancing were achieved early on.

Police enforced the lockdown with hefty fines and roadblocks. For emergencies such as hospital appointments, a permit was granted to people but everyone else was bound to their own homes.

Comparatively in the UK, people were asked to stay at home and there were no road blocks. This meant many people still broke the rules and went out. We saw police asking people to not sunbathe and even government advisers going site seeing.

2. Swift Decisions

Saudi Arabia is a monarchy, meaning decisions can be made super fast directly from the King. With Coronavirus, these decisions were able to be made faster than other nations. While much discussion in the west takes place on the negatives of such systems, this has proven itself to definitely be one of the advantages.

Testing for Covid-19 was expanded at phenomenal rates with test centres popping up in UAE and being available for everyone. GCC Governments also handed out sanitising gel and masks for citizens.

3. Old beats New

Pandemics are nothing new. The Arabs have historically been advantaged to beating pandemics due to ancient Islamic guidance being the same as current modern guidance on pandemics.

The command of the Prophet Muhammad in pandemics is to strictly quarantine. His companions, who learnt directly from him, also enforced social distancing. Such steps meant historically that pandemics such as the “Amwaas” plague were able to not spread as virulently as it did the rest of the world.

Going Forward

These experiences can teach the world the manner in which to deal with pandemics in the future. There are many things to be learned from different parts of the world. For example, Taiwan is next to China but has only seen seven deaths because of taking steps early steps.

Taiwan’s success comes from their learning from the 2002 pandemic they suffered. With Covid-19, Taiwan introduced a travel ban to infected countries, asked (and provided) their population to wear masks, incentivized reporting of symptoms through welfare and support, and had a ready healthcare services to deal with pandemics (despite no WHO membership). This meant Taiwan has been able to fight the pandemic without a lockdown.

It appears the world may never be the same again to viruses such as Coronavirus spreading. This means the world needs to learn and adapt to this new challenge through learning how different countries have tackled the spread.

Article first appeared on Muslim World Journal.

Shoaib Hussain lives in Birmingham – UK. He is CEO of Itiba.TV. He regularly writes for Muslim World Journal.

The MB are a very patient bunch, they bid their time and worked in the shadows recruiting young impressionable Emarati men and women.

To understand why UAE’s Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ) is the new target of the Qatari propaganda machine we must get back to the beginning.

The Muslim Brotherhood in the Emirates

The establishment of the Muslim Brotherhood’s organization began in the UAE at the end of the 60s to mid-70s, and “Ezz Al-Din Ibrahim” was chosen as responsible for the Brotherhood in the Emirates.

The MB succeeded in establishing one of the oldest NGOs in the Emirates, the “Society for Reform and Social Guidance”. The association received substantial support from the brothers in Kuwait, the ties between the UAE and Kuwait branches continued to grow stronger.

The Muslim Brotherhood continued coordination between the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait, “the Social Reform Society” and its political arm “the Islamic Constitutional Movement” in building the group’s infrastructure in the Emirates.

Their work continued under the guise of charitable aid from Kuwait starting from medical missions in 55-62 and then proceeded to penetrate society. Through their infiltration of education and media sectors between 69-72.

The MB are a very patient bunch, they bid their time and worked in the shadows recruiting young impressionable Emarati men and women, sending them on scholarships subsidized by the government since they controlled education.

In 2013, the MB of the United Arab Emirates began to lose patience as they saw their brothers in arms thrive in Tunisia, Egypt and Kuwait also as Qatar pushed to ramp up their efforts.

They decided to go on the offensive and try to overthrow the government of the U.A.E.

Mohammed bin Zayed personally managed the file of pursuing the group’s activities. Mohammed bin Zayed quietly started pursuing the group’s activities with a small tactical team, some sources suggested that the group was trying to overthrow the government before repositioning due to the uprisings in Egypt and the orders that came from Qatar demanded that efforts must shift to open parallel channels to redirect resources in Egypt to a number of Arab countries, especially in the Gulf, and expand their foothold.

Unfortunately for the MB, Mohammed bin Zayed was one step ahead of the group and decided to hit them as they were weak. The group’s zero hour came after the success of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, with the support of the late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, to deal off the death blow to group’s stronghold following the Egyptian popular revolution on June 30th 2013.

Arab leaders focused on security solutions that work in harmony with community projects to eliminate the Brotherhood, end their project and their ambitions in the region.

Shortly Qatari father Emir Hamad Al Thani and son Emir Tamim rushed to Riyadh and signed the Riyadh agreement.

The most prominent of the provisions of the 2013 Riyadh Agreement:

1. Qatar will stop supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and work to deport the elements belonging to the MB except the Qatari citizens.
2. Qatar commented not to harbor extremist individuals and terrorist elements who are citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council states, with the aim of disturbing the Gulf relations.
3. Qatar pledged not to provide assistance or support to any of the extremist organizations that sabotage internal and external relations.
4. Qatar will take the necessary steps to adhere to the general political approach adopted by the GCC .
5. Qatar will shut down facilities that train GCC Citizens to carry out terrorist acts against their countries and the world.

Here’s the whole story and now you can understand why Qatar hate MBS, MBZ, President SISI and the A4 countries.

These countries put an end to a very elaborate project that the MB spent decades into achieving.

Khaled Homoud Alshareef holds PhD in Business and he earned Masters in Philosophy. He regularly tweets under @0khalodi0.