Amidst news that Qatar is forming a favorable lobby for itself in US media, hiding its terrorist activities, the US-Qatar Business Council meetings seemed to be all in order.

Hosted in Chicago, the US-Qatar Business Council managing director Mohamed Barakat could highlight how Qatar’s advanced infrastructure, economic resiliency, and new regulations are in top condition, making investment and establishing business in Qatar, an ideal choice for American companies.

This, he confirmed, while speaking at a business luncheon hosted in Chicago by US-Qatar Business Council, in partnership with the Chicago Regional Growth Corporation and the Illinois District Export Council, featuring Nasser Allenqawi, Qatar’s consul general in New York.

“Despite generating great revenue from the export of liquefied natural gas, the State of Qatar has focused on reinvesting that revenue on its own economy, with a focus on infrastructure and the private sector,” said Barakat.

“Qatar now allows 100% foreign ownership, offers competitive incentives for foreign companies, and is strategically located for companies seeking to do work regionally,” he said.

Qatar-America Institute (QAI) hosted the US representative from the Qatar’s World Cup organising entity, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), in a briefing session with Chicago-area executives and leaders from across the sports sector.

All this is ironic while reports have been doing rounds, about Qatar splurging money on buying media opinions.

Qatar has been to be one of the biggest funders of the Muslim Brotherhood and it is known that Qatari money has funded numerous terrorist groups including Hamas and al-Qaida. It has spent nearly $5 million in 2017 on three Washington lobby firms seeking to improve its image.

Qatari entities, including Barzan Holdings, Qatar Tourism Authority, Education Above All Foundation and Qatari businessman Hassan bin Ali spent $13 million overall for all of 2017 on behalf of the emirate, according to the watchdog site Open Secrets.

They spent $9.3 million in 2018. Pro-Qatari lobbying has been bipartisan. The tablet reported in December that Nick Muzin, a former senior staffer for Republican Sens. Tim Scott and Ted Cruz became a lobbyist for Qatar. Its failure in renouncing terrorism funding for terrorism makes this lobbying campaign particularly troubling.