Qatar is spending billions to build up its military capabilities, purchasing aircraft and warships.

Last week, the Qatari foreign minister announced that a multi-billion dollar deal to purchase Italian warships had been finalized.

"We have signed a contract on behalf of the Qatari navy to acquire seven warships from Italy for five billion euros ($5.9 billion)," FM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said, according to UK Defence Journal. 

The deal includes the purchase of four corvettes (a type of small warship), an amphibious vessel (to launch air forces) and two patrol boats. Previously, in June, the emirate signed a deal with the United States to purchase F-15 fighter planes for $12 billion.

Qatar is currently facing an economic and diplomatic blockade from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. The four countries accuse Qatar of supporting terrorist groups and fomenting tensions in the region.

The countries are currently negotiating the crisis with the help of Kuwait as a mediator. However, Qatar has rejected the demands of its former allies, insisting that its sovereignty is under threat.

As the crisis has continued, fiery rhetoric has stemmed from both sides, with some experts suggesting war as a possible outcome. 

At the end of July, Saudi Arabia accused Qatar of calling for the "internationalization" of Saudi Arabia's holy sites, such as Mecca and Medina.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir described the call as "a declaration of war against the kingdom." 

However, the claim was soon denied by Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in an interview with Al Jazeera. 

"Qatar never politicized the issue of Hajj. It was Saudi Arabia trying to politicize the Hajj pilgrimage amid the Gulf crisis," Al Thani said.

Previously, representatives from the blockading countries have hinted that all options – even war with Qatar – are on the table to resolve the crisis.

For its part, Qatar has been welcoming the arrival of Turkish troops at a military base within its borders. Turkey's leaders have expressed solidarity and support with Qatar throughout the crisis.

While Qatar has insisted that it is not afraid of the economic blockade due to its vast wealth, it's less likely that the tiny emirate would be able to adequately defend itself if the possibility of war arose.

While the emirate agreed to $18 billion in military deals this year, thus far, that amount is dwarfed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Saudi Arabia was the world's fourth highest spender on its military in 2016, with nearly $64 billion in expenditures. The UAE was among the top 15 countries, spending about $23 billion.

Egypt also is considered to have the most powerful military in the Arab world. The country also recently opened the largest military base in the Middle East.

It seems as though Muslims aren't catching a break, and hijabis have been a main target for the hate. A recent incident in France reveals just how bad the situation really is. 

Fadila, a Muslim woman who is being identified by her first name only, went for a swim in a burkini at a private residence that she and her family had rented out in Marseille, a port city in the south of France. 

After entering the water, a staff member allegedly told all swimmers to leave the pool, according to The Independent. 

The staff member later called Fadila's husband asking him to stop her from swimming in the pool for the rest of their stay, and demanded they pay a $578 (490 euros) fine to fund the cleaning of the facility.  

The staff member explained that this fee would cover the costs incurred by the facility to empty, clean and pay damages for being put out of use for two days. 

"I was stunned because no one stopped me or said anything at all," Fadila told the charity United Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF).

"I was disappointed, shocked, wounded by the fact that someone could be so hypocritical and wicked because of a burkini," she added.

The couple refused to pay the bill, according to The Independent, but the amount was pulled from their account without producing an invoice. 

Last year, French Riviera mayors imposed a burkini ban in several towns including Cannes, Frejus, Villeneuve-Loubet, and Roquebrune. 

The ban was later overruled by the country's top administrative court as it was deemed to be a "violation of fundamental liberties."

During the same time, four armed French policemen approached a woman on a beach in Nice, forcing the woman to remove the modest piece of clothing. 

Photographs of the incident began circulating online soon after, ultimately going viral. Many criticized the country's treatment towards minority groups and pinpointed the obvious discrimination against Muslims for their choice of clothing. 

"I was sitting on a beach with my family," said Siam, who was also identified by her first name only, according to The Guardian.

"I was wearing a classic headscarf. I had no intention of swimming," she added.

Despite the court ruling in 2016, a town in Central France - Lorette - banned the full-body swimsuits and headscarves in the town's new leisure park earlier this year.

So, the 'burkini ban' isn't really over.

In June, a Lebanese Muslim woman shared her own experience on social media, after she was forced out of a beach resort for wearing a burkini. 

Noura Al Zaim expressed her outrage over the way she was treated at the Miramar Hotel Resort, which is located in Tripoli, a Muslim majority city.

"I never imagined that someone could stop me from going to the beach in Tripoli because of my hijab," she wrote. She also added that it was a shame to have such a bigoted and regressive mentality in Lebanon.

One month later, another woman had a similar experience in Egypt. 

In July, a hijabi was violently kicked out of the country's Hacienda Bay Resort for wearing a burkini. 

Facebook user Sarah El Amry had witnessed the entire incident, sharing a post about it on her Facebook wall. In it, she expressed her outrage at people's reactions after spotting a woman swimming in a burkini at said beach.  

 "A group of people forced her out of the beach and wanted to check the material of her burkini because they worried it was 'unhygienic,'" El Amry wrote. 

"Some of them even beat the woman's husband and her young son," she added.