Gulf monarchies, notably Saudi Arabia, and other major Muslim nations have been spared the US travel ban because they are crucial allies of Washington and not “failed states”, experts say.
President Donald Trump’s controversial executive order on Friday singled out citizens from Iran, Iraq, libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen to prevent “radical Islamic terrorists” from entering the United States. But the ban, which could still extend to other states, has exempted Muslim-majority nations associated with major attacks in the West. Out of the 19 hijackers of planes used in the September 11, 2011 attacks, 15 came from Saudi Arabia, also the birthplace of Al-Qaeda founder and attack mastermind Osama bin laden.