Why was the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) established?
Its fundamental purpose was to strengthen ties among the Gulf states, maximize their shared interests, and safeguard the security, prosperity, and future of their peoples.
I do not need to revisit the founding charter or official documents. They are readily available on the GCC Secretariat's official platforms and have been reaffirmed throughout the council's sessions since its inception on May 25, 1981, during the first summit held in Abu Dhabi.
Yes, the Gulf states have weathered fierce storms, but the Gulf ship has continued sailing safely, much like the vessels of generations past that navigated the coastlines stretching from Kuwait to Uqair, Jubail, Dammam, Qatif, Bahrain, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Musandam, and Sohar.
Today, however, there is a danger posed by media provocation and the invention of pointless, destructive disputes, while the Gulf ship seeks to navigate through the turbulent waves generated by Iran, the United States, and Israel.
What kind of mindset insists on keeping the flames of discord alive, reigniting them whenever they begin to die down?
Who are these people who continually stoke the fires of division among Gulf societies?
Their existence is not hypothetical. Unfortunately, they are a daily reality, visible across social media platforms and even in traditional media outlets.
For this reason, the information ministers of the GCC states met on Wednesday in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, and issued a statement firmly rejecting anything that undermines Gulf unity or insults the GCC states, their leaders, or their peoples.
The statement stressed that holding violators accountable is the responsibility of the competent authorities in each member state, through the implementation of national laws and approved GCC decisions, in accordance with the procedures of each country.
The ministers emphasized that solidarity and cohesion among GCC countries, their leaders, and their peoples constitute a cornerstone of protecting security and stability and preserving the Gulf's achievements.
What matters now is translating these words into sustained action on the ground. As the wise Umayyad-era poet Nasr ibn Sayyar famously said:
"A fire is kindled by but two sticks,
And every war begins... with words."
Differences of opinion and diversity of interpretation are natural human traits. Were it not for differing tastes, goods would never find buyers. People will always disagree.
But that is one thing. Creating strife and deliberately fostering grudges is quite another.
Moreover, indulging in vulgar rhetoric, insults, and attacks on others, targeting their identity, families, history, and even their food, clothing, dialect, or music, is among the most dangerous forms of misconduct. That is the most heinous forms of wickedness; and all wickedness is vile.
This is not a call to eliminate differences, suppress diversity, or silence criticism. On the contrary, it is a call to distinguish legitimate disagreement and constructive critique from harmful rhetoric and malicious conduct.
As for those who engage in such destructive behavior, they are a mixture of the ignorant at home, malicious actors abroad, and perhaps some of their followers within our own societies.
