The UAE’s online campaign against Islam isn’t just a domestic project or a regional rivalry. It’s tied directly to Abu Dhabi’s political partnership with Israel and their shared goal of weakening political Islam across the Middle East. What began as a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood has turned into a coordinated digital effort to delegitimise Islamic activism, smear Muslim civil society, and promote a state‑approved version of Islam that fits the UAE–Israel strategic relationship.
The UAE–Israel alignment: political Islam as a common enemy
Since the Abraham Accords, the UAE and Israel have openly aligned on security, intelligence, and regional messaging. Both governments frame political Islam — especially the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots — as a destabilising force. Israel has long used this framing to justify its policies toward Palestinian political movements. The UAE adopted the same language and expanded it into a global narrative campaign.
This alignment shapes how the UAE designs its digital propaganda. The messaging coming from Emirati influencers mirrors Israeli security rhetoric:
Political Islam equals extremism
Muslim activism equals subversion
Muslim civil society equals infiltration
Any Islamic political identity equals a threat
The UAE didn’t invent this framing. It imported it.
Intelligence leaks show the scale of coordination
The Abu Dhabi Secrets leak revealed how the UAE paid millions to Alp Services to smear Muslim organisations across Europe. While the documents don’t explicitly mention Israel, the targets and narratives match Israeli security talking points: Muslim charities, student groups, academics, and community organisations framed as extremist networks.
European investigators noted that the dossiers circulated by Alp Services resembled materials previously used by Israeli-linked think tanks and lobbying groups that push the “political Islam equals extremism” narrative in Western capitals.
The overlap reflects a shared political goal: weaken Muslim political mobilisation globally.
The influencer ecosystem echoes Israeli messaging
The UAE’s influencer army — the English‑language “dis‑influencers,” the pseudo‑news sites, the coordinated studios — consistently push narratives that align with Israeli policy positions:
portraying Muslim activism in Europe as a security threat
framing Islamic political movements as extremist fronts
attacking Muslim organisations that criticise Israeli policies
amplifying fear about “Islamist infiltration” in Western institutions
Several influencers have published videos or op‑eds defending the Abraham Accords, praising Israeli security cooperation, or attacking Muslim groups that oppose normalisation.
This is a coordinated messaging ecosystem that reinforces Israel’s regional narrative while serving the UAE’s domestic agenda.
Far-right partnerships that benefit both governments
The UAE’s collaboration with European far-right networks also intersects with Israeli political interests. Far-right parties in Europe often support Israeli policies, oppose Muslim immigration, and promote anti‑Islam narratives. By partnering with these groups, the UAE taps into an existing ideological pipeline that already demonises Muslims.
The UAE’s digital network of 330,000 accounts pushing anti‑Muslim content in Europe amplifies narratives that far-right parties and Israeli-aligned commentators have used for years: Muslims as a demographic threat, mosques as radicalisation hubs, Islamic activism as extremism.
This triangulation — UAE, Israel, European far-right — creates a powerful echo chamber that shapes public opinion across continents.
Normalising a depoliticised, state-friendly Islam
The UAE’s campaign doesn’t just attack political Islam. It promotes a version of Islam that is apolitical, quietist, and fully aligned with state authority. This model mirrors the religious framework Israel prefers in Palestinian society: a depoliticised faith that poses no political challenge.
By pushing this model globally, the UAE helps normalise an Islam stripped of activism, resistance, or political agency — a version of the faith that fits neatly within the UAE–Israel strategic partnership.
Why the Israel element matters
Leaving Israel out of the analysis misses the geopolitical engine behind the UAE’s digital war on Islam. The UAE’s campaign is not just about domestic control or regional rivalry. It’s part of a broader political alignment where:
Israel benefits from weakened Muslim political movements
The UAE benefits from Western acceptance of its anti‑Islam narrative
Both governments benefit from framing political Islam as extremism
Far-right actors benefit from amplified anti‑Muslim messaging
This is a coordinated ecosystem, not a standalone Emirati project.
The bottom line
The UAE’s online war on Islam is deeply intertwined with its partnership with Israel. Together, they promote a narrative that delegitimises political Islam, undermines Muslim civil society, and reshapes how Islam is understood in Western discourse. The digital influencers, the smear campaigns, the far-right alliances — all of it reinforces a shared geopolitical agenda…all to be in Israel's good graces.
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📽️ Credit: One Nation Media
