The Vice President of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), Essam al-Erian, praised the decision by Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to transfer power to his son, Tamim. He said the move was "unprecedented" and expressed hope that the new emir would achieve the ambitions of Qataris and other Arabs and Muslims. Sheikh Hamad had earlier announced the transfer of power to his son, the Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim. In a speech aired on Qatari TV on Tuesday, Hamad said, “it is time for a new generation to take power.” The move is the first of its kind in the gulf region. On Facebook on Wednesday, Erian posted: “Announcement by the Qatari Emir to hand over power to Crown Prince Tamim bin Hamad is an unprecedented step in a region that is not used to such courageous measures.” “Local and foreign policy will not change significantly. There will not be any surprises,” he added. “Qataris who supported their young prince will expect more accomplishments, especially as he was his father's partner in dealing with foreign and economic issues.” “May God enable the royal family with its young leadership to achieve the hopes of Qataris, people of the Gulf, Arabs, and Muslims,” he concluded. Qatar supported Egypt during the 2011 revolution that led to the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak and brought President Mohamed Morsy to office. Morsy's opponents claim that Qatar uses its media to reinforce the Muslim Brotherhood's rule in Egypt at the expense of liberal groups. Qatar is one of Egypt's main economic allies. It recently granted Egypt US$8 million, which raised doubts about its intentions to influence local policy in the country.
