Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has issued a decree to amend the country’s anti-terrorism laws, in a move that appears aimed at countering charges that the Gulf Arab state supports terrorism.

Qatar has been under pressure from four Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, over allegations it supports terrorism, a charge it denies.

The decree includes definitions for the words terrorist, crime, terrorism and acts of terrorism, as well as freezing of funds and financing terrorism.

It also creates two national terrorism lists and sets rules for listing individuals and groups on each list.

The Arab nations have not only accused Qatar of supporting terrorism, they have also imposed strict sanctions on the Gulf state.

Last week, Qatar signed an accord with the United States that provided for measures to work together to fight terrorism financing. Details of the accord have not been released.
…