Egypt's government and some Egyptians are outraged about a new Al Jazeera documentary that tackles the conditions of new military conscripts.
Egyptian officials have called for the ouster of Qatar's ambassador to Egypt, and some Twitter users are supporting the call with the hashtag #kick_the_Qatari_ambassador_out.
The Soldiers has been viewed on YouTube more than 750,000 times. It reveals that new conscripts endure nearly constant verbal and physical abuse, while routinely being asked to run personal errands for officers.
As Al Jazeera is owned by Qatar, the unflattering documentary only adds insult to an already tense diplomatic relationship. The Qatari government supported Egypt's former President Mohamed Morsi, who was deposed in a military coup by current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Under Sisi's government, there has been a major crackdown on the Qatari backed Muslim Brotherhood. Several Al Jazeera journalists were also imprisoned and accused of collaborating with the organization.
“It’s obviously poorly done work that is trying to shake the confidence of the Egyptian citizen in his army," a spokesman for Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, according to the New York Times.
The head of the media office at Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the criticism by simply saying: "We have nothing to do with this." Officially, the Qatari government claims that Al Jazeera is an independent entity that merely receives government funds.
Several members of Egypt's parliament have called for the Qatari ambassador to be sent packing.
Some Egyptians want the government to send a strong message
Others are calling Al Jazeera a mouthpiece of ISIS
And this guy want's to make sure U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is aware
Others have mocked the outrage, saying it's worked to promote the film
"Sisi's supporters and Egyptian media have promoted Al Jazeera's film more than the channel did. A very stupid move."
Egypt's criticism comes just as the Qatari Foreign Minister has reiterated his country's supports for rebels in Syria.
"This support is going to continue, we are not going to stop it. It doesn't mean that if Aleppo falls we will give up on the demands of the Syrian people," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told Reuters.
He said that Qatar will continue the support even if Trump ends American backing of the multinational effort to topple Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's government. The statements have drawn intense criticism from many who claim Qatar and other nations are supporting terrorist groups such as ISIS.