My latest column on #CoronaVirus "Myths, lies and the coronavirus: How Middle East tensions are being stoked" middleeasteye.net/opinion/corona…
"#Coronavirus is being opportunistically weaponised through disinformation and propaganda tactics aimed at demonising political opponents, while exposing latent prejudices."
"In the Middle East and around the world, #coronavirus has reactivated similar prejudices along sectarian lines. One needs only to search for “corona” and “Shia” in Arabic to find tweets linking the rapid spread of the virus in Iran to Shia backwardness"
"Some see ritualistic practices that facilitate the spread of the virus as a vindication of their own prejudice. One person said that "Sunni" Saudi Arabia’s response to the outbreak was civilised and rational, while "Shia" Iran’s was beset by idiocy and superstition" #COVIDー19
"Moteari’s claims of irony were further muddied when she replied to a tweet saying that while Qatar was not competent enough to carry out such an operation, it had hired “mercenaries” who were." #coronavirus
