So it should come as no surprise that anxiety about the Muslim Brotherhood is at the center of the Gulf crisis -- and the list of 13 demands.
The second demand orders Doha to "sever all ties to terrorist organizations, specifically the Muslim Brotherhood," and to declare the Brotherhood a terrorist organization.
The third demand calls for shutting down "Al Jazeera and its affiliate stations," which these countries view as a Brotherhood mouthpiece, and the fourth demand similarly calls for the closure of at least four other outlets that are regarded as staunchly pro-Brotherhood.
The fifth demand calls on Doha to "immediately terminate the Turkish military presence currently in Qatar and end any joint military cooperation with Turkey inside Qatar." This reflects the four countries' concerns regarding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's vocal sympathy with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's "anti-coup" cause, and the prospect that Turkish influence within Qatar might consolidate Qatari support for Brotherhood organizations.
The sixth demand orders Doha to "stop all means of funding for individuals, groups or organizations that have been designated as terrorists by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, the U.S. and other countries," which includes many Brotherhood affiliates.
The seventh demand asks Qatar to "hand over terrorist figures and wanted individuals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain to their countries of origin," a list that includes Brotherhood cadres and supporters, including Qaradawi.
The eighth demand calls on Doha to "end interference in sovereign countries' internal affairs," which encompasses Brotherhood affiliates across the region, and the ninth demand effectively repeats this: "Stop all contacts with the political opposition in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain. Hand over all files detailing Qatar's prior contacts with and support for those opposition groups."
What will Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt actually do if Qatar doesn't bend? In an interview with the Guardian, the UAE ambassador to Russia threatened secondary sanctions against Qatar. But a column in the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya went much further, warning Doha that its failure to accept the 13 demands "may be like Rabaa Square" -- a reference to Egyptian security forces' August 14, 2013, massacre of Muslim Brotherhood members and allies, in which hundreds were killed.
In other words, this rift is also existential for the Qatari government. But given the country's long history of coups and abdications, there are no good answers for Doha. Refusing to comply with the 13 demands will exacerbate the external threat it faces, but yielding to those demands will show weakness domestically, and could make the emir vulnerable.
Eric Trager is the Esther K. Wagner Fellow at The Washington Institute and author of Arab Fall: How the Muslim Brotherhood Won and Lost Egypt in 891 Days.
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/the-muslim-brotherhood-is-the-root-of-the-qatar-crisis