Why is the UAE running a campaign to smear Islam’s image?

Information has begun to emerge indicating that the United Arab Emirates is directing and financing smear campaigns against the image of Islam in the West. At first glance, this appears quite surprising. After all, the UAE is an Arab and Muslim country, part of the Arab world. The sense of surprise stems precisely from this fact. One would not expect a country that is Arab, Muslim, and part of the Arab geography to be involved in negative approaches toward Islam and Muslims. Moreover, in the West, such campaigns have typically foregrounded ideological concepts such as Political Islam and Islamism, targeting Islamic groups assumed to be associated with these labels. According to the reports now circulating, however, the UAE has shifted its stance and begun portraying Islam and Muslims themselves as the source of the problem. This should not be seen as an independent initiative by the UAE. Developments of this kind are part of a much broader campaign.

At this point, we must first answer the question of why the United Arab Emirates is involved in such a campaign. As is well known, the UAE stands out for its partnerships with international power centers—particularly the United Kingdom and Israel—in Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Palestine, and Yemen. In a previous article, we noted that the UAE was a British colony in the last century. We also emphasized, following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent country, that this colonial legacy is crucial for understanding current developments. In fact, parts of Libya, Sudan, Somaliland, Palestine, and the United Arab Emirates were all British colonies until the mid-20th century. Aden, meanwhile, was a British Crown Colony. British colonialism was the main framework that bound these countries and cities together. As is well known, Palestine was also a British colony from 1920 to 1948. However, the colonial experiences of the UAE and Palestine diverged significantly from the others. The mandate administration established in Palestine was taken over by Israel, whereas the UAE has survived to the present day without any disruptive transformation of its colonial characteristics. In the other colonies, groups that fought for independence managed to sustain their presence with continuity. Israel should be seen as a success of British colonialism. The UAE, by contrast, is a structure that seeks to achieve a similar success by emulating Israel.

It would be misleading to view Orientalism as an organic prejudice fed simply by cultural differences between nations. Crude classifications such as “this is what Westerners think about the East, and this is what Easterners think” do not provide a useful framework. Orientalism should instead be understood as a tool of colonialist and imperial hegemonic power. It is not easy to separate Gertrude Bell’s intelligence activities from Orientalist knowledge. Likewise, Gertrude Bell’s activities cannot be considered independently from serious academic studies conducted on waqf properties. Colonization also entails the reorganization of knowledge. Therefore, the UAE’s smear campaign against the image of Islam in the West should be addressed within the context of this reorganization of knowledge. Reflecting on the consequences of this process does not amount to Occidentalism.

For a time, Orientalist studies on Islamist thought, Islamist groups, and Islamic movements dominated the field. Particularly during the period when Western European countries led by the United States were reoccupying and invading the Islamic world, Western Orientalists who worked in this area rose to global prominence. They also professed faith in the supremacy of US liberalism. Over time, however, US liberalism lost its credibility. Belief in the superiority of Western democracies and Western civilization also collapsed. It is no coincidence that US President Trump abandoned value-based propaganda. When propaganda tools no longer work, there is no point in clinging to old habits. The steady rise of anti-Islam sentiment in the West is a result of this reality. The growing prominence of religion-based approaches is not the product of religious differences.

The United Kingdom and Germany took Israel’s side directly in the Palestinian issue. Germany’s chancellor even praised Israel for carrying out the West’s dirty work. Germany’s former foreign minister Annalena Baerbock stated, “As long as Israel ensures its security, we will not be ashamed of targeting civilians and hospitals.” The UK, meanwhile, classified all demonstrations in support of Palestine as terrorism and treated participants as terrorists. These actions show that old habits have been abandoned and that Islam and Muslims are now being targeted directly. The UAE’s activities must be understood within the context of this direct stance adopted by the UK and Germany.