Last Friday, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi ordered the prosecution of a gang known as “Bahloul Gang” before the State Security Division of the Abu Dhabi Federal Appeals Court. The gang is charged with crimes that could affect state security and public order. The UAE News Agency reported in a statement from the Attorney General that “investigations by the Public Prosecution, which lasted more than seven months, revealed the involvement of over 100 defendants in forming, managing, and joining a criminal gang named ‘Bahloul Gang.’ This gang aimed to engage in illegal activities, collect prohibited funds, and divide the proceeds among themselves through coercion, expanding influence in their operational areas, and promoting their criminal activities on social media. They used prohibited tools and weapons to instill fear in victims and extort money under duress for the gang’s purposes, and they concealed and laundered the illicit gains resulting from these crimes”, the statement said.
The UAE Attorney General emphasized that “the Public Prosecution will not tolerate any leniency in applying the law firmly against those who dare to commit these legally criminalized acts or harm and terrorize the public across the country.” Al Shamsi also stressed that “law enforcement authorities are carrying out their duties with utmost vigilance and readiness to maintain state security and the safety of its residents.” The Attorney General urged “everyone who has made the UAE their safe homeland to report these crimes as soon as they become aware of them to avoid their severe consequences.”
This case has revived memories of the fierce confrontation that the UAE has had with the Muslim Brotherhood for many years, aiming to halt the group’s attempts — classified as terrorist by many countries in the region — to dominate the political life in several countries. The UAE’s approach to the Muslim Brotherhood has been notably different from other Middle Eastern countries, especially following the collapse of their ruling system in Egypt and their loss of parliamentary majorities in most countries.
In 2014, the UAE issued a government decree listing the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliated local groups as terrorist organizations. The UAE also classified Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State, which are fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, as terrorist organizations, along with Shiite groups like the Houthis in Yemen. This came after Saudi Arabia’s decision in March of the same year to list the group as a terrorist organization.
In January of the previous year, Attorney General Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi ordered the referral of 84 defendants, most of whom were members of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood, to the Abu Dhabi Federal Appeals Court (State Security Court) to stand trial for forming another secret organization with the purpose of committing acts of violence and terrorism within the country. According to the UAE News Agency (WAM), the defendants had concealed this crime and its evidence before their arrest and trial in Case No. 17 of 2013 for state security. WAM added that based on sufficient information and investigations, the Attorney General ordered an inquiry into these criminal activities, appointing a lawyer for each defendant. After nearly six months of investigation, revealing details of the crime, and gathering sufficient evidence, the Attorney General decided to transfer the defendants to a public trial in the State Security Court, which is still ongoing, starting with witness testimonies and the appointment of lawyers for defendants unable to hire their own legal representation.
The Emirati Brotherhood has been connected to the mother organization in Egypt through the insistence on requiring members to pledge allegiance. In Islamic terms, allegiance means loyalty to the person to whom the member pledges their heart. The government viewed this pledge as a complete loyalty that could not be accepted, and concerns were raised about what allegiance the Emirati Brotherhood might have given to Brotherhood leaders abroad.
In 2001, the group decided to stop requiring allegiance, but Al Mansouri asserts that the group had stopped requiring pledges from its members since 2003. However, evidence has shown otherwise. For example, Rashid Al Jumairi, a leader of the group, began refusing to attend meetings in late 2002 and eventually apologized to his supervisor, stating he would work for the cause of Islam without being a member of the organization. The supervisor reminded him that the cause requires commitment and to continue with what he pledged. In 2003, due to numerous accusations and the harm caused to many group members because of their allegiance and pledge, the group’s leadership unanimously decided to stop recruiting members from the military sector and to cease taking pledges from members altogether. The conflict between the organization and the UAE government came to a head with Yusuf al-Qaradawi, considered the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, attacking the UAE rulers, leading to a response from then-Dubai Police Chief Dhahi Khalfan, who stated that Qaradawi had committed grave mistakes and that he would request Interpol to issue an arrest warrant for Qaradawi, who has been banned from entering the UAE for years.
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