Thread by @marcowenjones

My latest for @dohanews. "Alaa Al-Siddiq: The smearing of an Emirati hero" dohanews.co/alaa-al-siddiq… #disinformation cc. @alaa_q

"Although it appears that Al-Siddiq was killed in a tragic road accident in Oxfordshire, England, it has not stopped partisan commentators in the region from exploiting the tragedy as a tool of disinformation to smear her, her family and the political enemies of the UAE."

"Numerous commentators, many linked to the United Arab Emirates, have sought to sew conspiracies that she was assassinated, either by Qatar or by the Muslim Brotherhood"

"Amjad Taha, a British Bahraini who is the regional director of the little-known British Middle East Center for studies & Research, claimed intelligence operatives belonging to the Qatari Muslim Brotherhood assassinated Al-Siddiq upon learning that she was returning to the UAE"

"Others have left the perpetrator of the alleged assassination of Al-Siddiq vague, but insinuated that she was killed because she was on the brink of returning to the Emirates and on the verge of exposing the Muslim Brotherhood..."

"Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a professor of political science based in the UAE, known for his controversial statements on Gulf plitics, also stated that Al-Siddiq was the victim of a “secret organisation attempting to escape justice”, and died prior to being reunited with her family"

"There is no evidence to suggest that Al-Siddiq was about to return to the UAE. Indeed, the narrative promoting this seems purposefully designed to exonerate the UAE’s human rights record in light of renewed scrutiny following her death."

"After all, if she was to return to the UAE, it would only be because she felt that there would be no reprisals. Given that her father, Mohammad Al-Siddiq, has been imprisoned in the UAE since 2013 for his political views, this scenario is highly unlikely, bordering on absurd. "

"Al-Siddiq’s articulate and on point criticism of the UAE’s human rights record made her an enemy of the state. The smears against the prominent dissident highlights the willingness of disinformation operators in the region to exploit any opportunity to disseminate propaganda"

"Al-Siddiq’s death was a threat to the UAE in the sense that she risked becoming a martyr for the Emirati opposition. Her eloquence and articulate critique of Emirati human rights abuses was clearly perceived as credible and legitimate....(cont)"

"and thus her legacy was attacked so as to try and deter people from supporting her."

"Indeed, her powerful activism would make it even less likely that the UAE would allow her body to be repatriated to the UAE. Authoritarian regimes are loathe to make graves that could turn into a shrine for nascent opposition. "

"Demonising a regime’s enemies is part of the playbook of any authoritarian regime. While some might try to seek false parity between those accusing either the UAE or the Muslim Brotherhood of assassinating Al-Siddiq, they are far from equal."

"To do so minimises the very real danger activists or dissidents face from the UAE government, who have been quick to silence opposition voices."

"As for the tropes trying to implicate the Muslim Brotherhood or Qatar, these are merely the remnants of a virulent propaganda campaign that began with the blockading of Qatar by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt in 2017"