Sheikh Taleb

:: Leaders of the Al-Murrah tribe in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have warned Doha against harming their relatives in Qatar.

The warning came after Qatar stripped Al-Murrah tribal chief Sheikh Taleb and 54 family members of their citizenship, in a move slammed as “collective punishment” by human rights groups.

It follows a previous action by Doha to force 6,000 tribal members to flee the country, according to reports.

Al-Murrah tribal leaders and members, as well as dignitaries from other tribes, convened early Saturday in Al-Ahsa, eastern Saudi Arabia, to show solidarity with Sheikh Taleb.

He received the guests in his home, where many delivered speeches denouncing the practices of the Qatari authorities.

Sheikh Taleb recently confirmed in a video recording that Qatar had revoked his and his family’s citizenship.

“My citizenship isn’t a gift from Hamad bin Khalifa – former ruler of Qatar. It was offered to me by Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al-Thani (who ruled Qatar between 1949 and 1960). Therefore … Hamad bin Khalifa has no right to revoke it.”

Commenting on the reason for revoking his citizenship, Sheikh Taleb said it was “because we refused to insult” Saudi Arabia and its leadership.