Qatar’s Fake News Fiasco Has Finally Ended
From hack to harmony in the Persian Gulf
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.
This proved to be true when the diplomatic order broke down in the Persian Gulf, back in 2017. Out of the blue, the tiny emirate of Qatar was embroiled in a bitter feud with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. Diplomatic ties were severed in the blink of an eye.
The cause was a series of alleged statements by emir Tamim, the Qatari head of state. The poignant part was that they were all made up.
Hackers had infiltrated the Qatar News Agency and had posted “quotes” by emir Tamim. It sparked a diplomatic crisis that lasted until a month ago.
How could one fake news article create such a rupture between these five countries, which are all members of the Arab League?
The hack
On May 24, 2017, Qatari News Agency was hacked by unknown intruders. The hackers posted an article on the agency’s website with quotes by the emir of Qatar. They were unpalatable for an Arab audience.
In the article, emir Tamim was seen making the following statements.
- He expressed support for the islamist Muslim…
