Dubai sells itself as the crown jewel of modern Muslim world. Gleaming towers, halal brunch menus and five-star mosques but for Muslims paying attention, the picture emerging in 2026 is something else entirely. The UAE is not a beacon of Islamic life. It is a state that has repeatedly worked against the interests of Muslims worldwide and it’s time we talked about that.
While Gaza Burned, Dubai Offered Soldiers a Holiday
Let that sink in. As the world watched the horror unfold in Gaza, Israeli soldiers were boarding FlyDubai flights for a rest break in Dubai. Reports citing Hebrew media confirmed that the UAE coordinated with the Israeli Ministry of Defence to run a structured recreational programme for soldiers, many of whom had just been fighting in Gaza. More than 5,000 soldiers reportedly benefited over just two months.
One case went viral. A soldier posted images of himself destroying homes in Gaza, then days later posted photos dining by the Palm Jumeirah. The Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi remains the only fully operational Israeli embassy in the Arab world since the assault on Gaza began. Emirates Airlines was running up to eight daily flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv throughout the conflict.
Dubai was not a neutral party to the Gaza Genocide. It was an active participant.
Arming Genocide in Sudan
Sudan is a catastrophe receiving far less attention than it deserves. Since April 2023, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been waging mass murder, systematic rape, and ethnic cleansing against the Masalit people in Darfur
And who has been arming the RSF? Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have all pointed to the UAE. Weapons flowed through Libya, Chad, and Uganda, including armoured vehicles and Chinese-made drones. They have also documented the weapons pipeline in detail. The UN Panel of Experts confirmed arms transfers violated the international embargo.
The motive? Gold. Nearly 97% of Sudan’s official gold exports in 2024 went to the UAE, earning over a billion and a half dollars. Muslim lives in Darfur are being traded for mineral wealth. These are our brothers and sisters. This is who the UAE is arming.
Bankrolling Islamophobia Across Europe
This is not about one man. This is about a coordinated, state-funded war on Muslim identity in the West.
Leaked documents and investigations revealed what became known as the “Abu Dhabi Secrets” operation. The UAE paid at least 5.7 million euros to target over a thousand individuals and hundreds of institutions across eighteen European countries, using character assassination, fake social media accounts, and fabricated articles designed to link targets to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Think tanks funded by Emirati money published hit pieces on Muslim organisations. Journalists were fed “expert” comments by UAE-backed researchers. And spin doctors helped push these narratives directly into government policy in the UK, Germany, Austria, and France. Mosques were accused of extremism. Muslim civic organisations labelled security threats. Innocent people debanked and unemployed.
An 8-million-euro loan channelled through a UAE-based bank also reportedly helped rescue Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party from financial collapse. Her party has pushed bans on the abaya, restrictions on the hijab, and limits on the call to prayer.
A country presenting itself as an Islamic power was secretly funding the very movements trying to erase Muslim visibility from Europe
The Epstein Files and Emirati Power
The release of the Epstein files named Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, one of the UAE’s most powerful business figures and head of DP World, which handles a tenth of the world’s container trade. Emails spanning over a decade reveal a warm personal relationship with Epstein, including discussions about visiting his private island where child sex trafficking took place. One email from Sulayem read: “you are one of my most trusted friends in every sense of the word.” He was ultimately removed as chairman and CEO of DP World.
Also named hundreds of times is Hind al-Owais, previously director of the UAE’s Permanent Committee for Human Rights and its first female UN appointee. There is no suggestion of criminal wrongdoing by either individual. But the proximity of senior UAE figures to the world’s most notorious child sex trafficker demands honest reflection.
Do not let the glitter blind you to the blood.
The UAE has perfected the art of Islamic aesthetics. The architecture, the Ramadan tents, the call to prayer on every corner. It is designed to feel like home. But aesthetics are not values and this is exactly when awareness matters most. The Ummah is not abstract. It is the Muslims being killed in Darfur while their murderers are armed with Dubai money. It is the communities in Paris and Birmingham absorbing Islamophobic hatred that the UAE appears comfortable enabling.
Do not let the glitter of its skyline blind you to what lies beneath. Real Islamic consciousness means calling out injustice wherever it comes from, including from those who wrap themselves in the language of Islam while betraying everything it stands for.
“O you who believe, be steadfast supporters of justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves.” Surah An-Nisa, 4:135
