Khlaifa al-Khulaifi

Sultan Khlaifa al-Khulaifi (Arabic: سلطان خليفة الخليفي‎‎) is a Qatari blogger, human rights activist, and the former Secretary-General of the Swiss-based Alkarama Foundation.

Al-Khulaifi was arrested in Qatar in March 2011 without charge.

Both before and after his arrest, al-Khulaifi advocated for individuals with close connections to terrorist organizations.

Views

Between early 2009 and 2010, Al-Khulaifi maintained a blog where he recorded his personal and political views.^[1] In April 2009, al-Khulaifi added a blogpost intended, according to its title, for the Emir and the people of Qatar. In the post, al-Khulaifi blames the Qatari government for its secular and “blasphemous” laws on alcohol, bars, and discos and credits the government for the spread of prostitution against the people’s will. Al-Khulaifi regards the government as un-Islamic for not following the Qur'anic texts provided in his post.^[2] Al-Khulaifi repeatedly refers to the existence of alcohol and bars in Qatar as a misguided policy of the government and questions the people’s allegiance to a government that adopts such policies.

Al-Khulaifi is critical of Qatar’s policies towards Israel. Despite Qatar’s support for Hamas, al-Khulaifi bemoans Shimon Peres’ visit to Doha and advises the government to shut down the “Zionist office” and to cut ties with the “Zionist enemy.”^[3]

Al-Khulaifi has referred to the U.S. military as a terrorist military and has urged Qatar to expel U.S. forces from Qatar. Al-Khulaifi has blamed Qatar for allowing U.S. forces to set up military bases in Qatar important to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.^[4]

In the profile associated with al-Khulaifi’s blog, he lists Sayyid Qutb’s Milestones as his favorite book. Milestones explains the ideology of “Qutbism” which is widely considered to advance extremist jihadist ideology and spread “offensive jihad.”^[5]

Human rights activism

Al- Khulaifi served as Secretary-General of the Alkarama Foundation until the beginning of 2010.^[6]

Alkarama stated that al-Khulaifi left the organization in 2010 “to found a new organization for the defense of human rights.”^[7] In early 2013, Doha News reported that al-Khulaifi was working with the Geneva-registered Adel Group for Human Rights. The Adel Group for Human Rights primarily covers cases of detention in Qatar.^[8] Al-Khulaifi also used his blog to write about issues related to human rights in the Middle East and Qatar.

Arrest

Sultan Khulaifi was arrested on March 1, 2011 at approximately 9 p.m. after his Doha residence was raided by “a number of state security agents.” The agents reportedly searched his house and car for two hours before al-Khulaifi was taken to an unknown location. Alkarama reported that an officer informed al-Khulaifi’s wife that the agents had been sent by the Attorney General but that they were unable to produce a judicial warrant.^[9] Al-Khulaifi was detained for a month.^[10]

In Alkarama’s statement on the arrest of Sultan Khulaifi, the organization noted their “fears that the arrest of Mr. Sultan Khalifa Al Khulaifi is as a result of his human rights activities.”^[11]

Following Sultan Khulaifi’s arrest, Amnesty International released a statement of concern which claimed that al-Khulaifi was at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.^[12][13]

Controversies and ties to extremism

Alkarama

As the former Secretary-General of Alkarama, Sultan Khulaifi served alongside the organization’s founding and senior members. Alkarama, a Swiss-based human rights non-governmental organization, has been linked to terrorist organizations. Two of Alkarama’s founding members, Abdulrahman al-Nuaimi and Abd al-Wahhab al-Humayqani, have been listed as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.^[14][15] Alkarama has also had former clients connected to Islamist groups fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.^[16] The president of Alkarama, Khalifa Mohamed Rabaan, is a member of the Global Anti-Aggression Campaign led by a former mentor of Osama bin Laden, Safar bin Abdul Rahman al-Hawali.^[17][18][19] The Global Anti-Aggression Campaign, which also lists al-Nuaymi as a member, has supported and hosted members of Hamas’ leadership and their calls for jihad.^[20][21][22]

In Alkarama’s statement on the arrest of Sultan Khulaifi, it is mentioned that al-Khulaifi contacted Alkarama regarding the arbitrary detention of Abdullah Ghanem Mahfouz Muslim Jouar and Salim Hassan Khalifa Rashid Al Kuwari.^[23] Jouar, referred to as al-Khawar by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, is a member of an al-Qaeda network “operating under an agreement between al-Qaeda and the Iranian government.” According to the Department of the Treasury, he delivered money, messages, and other material support to al-Qaeda elements in Iran and facilitated travel to Afghanistan for jihad.^[24]

Al-Kuwari was also listed as a member of the same al-Qaeda network. According to the Department of the Treasury, al-Kuwari, who is based in Qatar, “has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial support to al-Qaeda and has provided funding for al-Qaeda operations…” Like Jouar, al-Kuwari has also facilitated travel for extremist recruits on behalf of Iran-based senior members of al-Qaeda.^[25] Following al-Khulaifi’s request regarding their cases, Alkarama transmitted these cases to the Qatari authorities “in the hope that they (Qatari authorities) will release them.”^[26]

Association to French Embassy letter

On March 22, 2013, Muhammad Issa al-Bakr and Mansour bin Rashed al-Matroushi were arrested over a threatening letter sent to the French embassy in protest of the country’s intervention in Mali.^[27] According to a Doha News translation, the letter demands that the French government immediately ceases its military campaign in Mali “or else you (the French) will be exposing yourselves to the wrath of people who love death as much as you love life.” The letter also accuses France of killing and torturing Malian Muslims and describes the country’s policies as “terrorist” and “racist.”^[28] Al-Khulaifi stated that “the letter we sent to the French Embassy carried no threat. It was advice.”^[29]

On March 23 both men were placed in solitary confinement until March 27. Both Al-Bakr and al-Matroushi were released on April 18, 2013 and were subject to a travel ban.^[30] Doha News claimed that Sultan Khulaifi works with Muhammad Issa al-Bakr and Mansour bin Rashed al-Matroushi as part of the Adel Group for Human Rights.^[31] Al-Bakr was a coordinator of the defunct Madad Ahl al-Sham fundraising campaign.^[32] While Madad Ahl al-Sham was purportedly created to provide humanitarian supplies to Syrian citizens in need, Madad Ahl al-Sham was identified as a “preferred conduit for donations” by the al-Nusra Front. Some Madad Ahl al-Sham flyers called for donations “equal to $1,500 to prepare a fighter by arming, feeding, and treating.”

References