Egyptian singer famous for 'I hate Israel' lyrics takes jibe at Qatar

An Egyptian singer most famous for his 2000 'I hate Israel' song has tried to rally support for a Saudi-led boycott of Qatar by releasing a song targeting the emirate's foreign minister.

Shaaban Abdel Rahim, popularly known as Shaabola, this week released the song titled "The Rudeness of Qatar's Foreign Minister", which seemingly takes aim at Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Shaabola rose to fame in 2000 with the song "I Hate Israel" and has since then built a career by releasing politically-inspired tracks, which have attacked various figures such as recently the leader of the Islamic State group.

In June, he released a song accusing Doha of funding Islamic militants. He also sang praising Iraq's Iran-backed Shia militias in January.

"How are you so rude? Oh foreign minister of Qatar," he says as a music video shows multiple images of Sheikh Mohammed.

"You look like you are brand new at this job… you couldn't even be a minister of chess. Everything you say is low-class and not suitable for a minister," he sings before heaping praise on the top envoys of Arab states boycotting Doha.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut all ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of bankrolling Islamist extremists and being too close to Iran.

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Doha has denied the charges.

Abdel Rahim appeared on local talk show programme on Monday and explained that his song targeted the diplomat because of a heated exchange of words between Qatar and the four states boycotting it during an Arab League meeting earlier this month.

The fiery meeting however involved Qatar's minister of state for foreign affairs, Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi.

Earlier this month, seven Arab singers, mostly Saudis, poured scorn on Qatar in a song that went viral.

The five-minute music video titled "Teach Qatar" was widely mocked on social media as a failed attempt to discredit Doha amid the diplomatic crisis.