Perhaps the decision taken by the Gulf Countries Council (GCC) and Arab League except two countries- Lebanon and Iraq defining Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation gives an opportunity to the decision makers in the GCC countries to think how to deal with legislation against all terrorist organisations. The approach should be holistic not selective or emotional.

Hezbollah is an Iranian-armed sectarian military group controlling Lebanon and currently supporting the Bashar regime which is still committing heinous crimes against Syrian people. Hezbollah openly says that their goal is to bring Arab region under the influence of Iran and under its ‘Guardianship’ system by setting up supporting leading financing arming and training branches other branches of Hezbollah throughout the Arab countries.

The question is whether Hezbollah is the only organisation that seeks to undermine or overthrow the existing regimes in the GCC and other parts of the Arab world. The answer is simple. Every political or religious organisation is struggling to set up a Guardianship state by bringing together all Muslims under one religious reference or guardian or Caliph Shiite people. The same applies to the Sunni armed organisations which may seeking to establish a Caliphate regime by bringing all Muslims under one Islamic state.

None of the religious organisations are exception in this regard. Ansarullah in Yemen the People’s Mobilisation in Iraq ISIS Muslim Brotherhood Al Qaeda Salafi-Jihadist all of them never deny this fact. Those who have doubt about this they should read the political literature of these organisations.

To be honest the political religious organisations are not just those struggling to overthrow the regimes of the GCC countries but radical non-religious organisations such as Ba’athists nationalists revolutionary leftist communist are also seeking to achieve same aim. These too are struggling to set up revolutionary regimes by empowering labourers farmers and revolutionary councils on the wreckages of our ‘backward regimes’ linked to Imperialism and Capitalism.

However the immediate risk today is coming from both Sunni and Shi’ite politico-religious organisations because both are supposedly seeking either to establish a Caliphate state like Da’esh or a ‘Guardianship state like Iran. This make it necessary to develop law that criminalises affiliation to or practicing or supporting any of the organisations longing to topple existing regimes in the Gulf region.

The law must include all GCC states to avoid contradictions such as for example when Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates criminalised affiliation to Muslim Brotherhood which is considered a terrorist organisation by Egypt at the same time we saw the same organisation becoming allied to the government in Bahrain to fight the political Shi’ite movement in that country.

The same organisation works freely in Kuwait possessing financial media and educational institutions and often works outside of the law although there is no law regulating activities of political parties in Kuwait.

Also when Bahrain criminalised Hassan Nasrullah’s Hezbollah and his supporters when they demanded the overthrow of the regime in 2012 Hezbollah at that time used to have ministers in the Kuwaiti government and representatives in the parliament.

Such a situation creates confusion and weakens the power of law and the state in the GCC. The most dangerous thing is to give contradictory gestures to the public whom we are trying to rescue from these ‘terrorist organisations’.

No doubt that there is no common definition of terrorism and terrorist organisations but GCC states can develop a common law to combat terrorism. The law should criminalise and deport any of the expatriates living in the GCC states affiliated to or supporting any of those organisations whether religious or non-religious so long as they seeks to overthrow governments by force. Also any citizens belonging to such organisation or supporting them must be punished.

The comprehensiveness of such legislation would prevent anyone from trying to describe the combatting of terrorist organisations (whether they are religious or radical) as unjust acts or sectarian or selectively taken actions. It would also be clear to all youth in the Gulf that affiliation to such organisations is against the law.

However issuance of such law needs to be accompanied by other laws protecting human rights freedom of expression fairness and justice equal opportunities fighting corruption and enhancing state law and assure enforcement of law.

Time is not in favour of reactionary policies and hesitation that lead to confusion among our youth. The enemy of the Gulf States in its fight against terrorism are delays and non- unilateral decisions.