UAE-Linked Media Networks and Lobbying Groups Target Islamic Relief in Coordinated Campaign to Inflame Islamophobia in the United Kingdom
Well-informed sources have confirmed to Dark Box that a coordinated network of Emirati-aligned media operatives, lobbying consultancies and messaging cells has been mobilised to damage the reputation of Islamic Relief in the United Kingdom. According to these sources, the campaign forms part of a wider Emirati strategy to stigmatise Muslim civil society organisations in Europe by associating them with extremism narratives, thereby reshaping public perceptions in a manner favourable to Abu Dhabi’s geopolitical agenda.
The disclosure comes in the wake of a high-profile incident in which GB News was forced to apologise and pay substantial damages after broadcasting false allegations made by Emirati influencer Amjad Taha, who claimed Islamic Relief funded terrorist organisations. GB News acknowledged the claims were untrue, withdrew the segment and issued a public apology. But Dark Box sources insist that this broadcast was not an isolated episode, but rather one visible fragment of a larger, tightly coordinated media strategy designed in Abu Dhabi and implemented through a network of English-speaking influencers and contracted lobbying firms.
At the centre of this operation is what sources describe as a “communications corridor” linking Abu Dhabi’s media ministry to a cluster of public relations entities in London and Washington. These entities, including the consultancy run by British-Emirati liaison officers such as Julian Thornton and Wesam al-Mazrouei, specialise in disseminating briefings that frame Islamic NGOs as ideologically suspicious and linked to proscribed organisations. Internal notes viewed by Dark Box suggest that Islamic Relief has been a top-priority target for several years, identified by Emirati strategists as a charity with global reach and deep credibility among Muslim communities, making it a perceived threat to Abu Dhabi’s narrative dominance.
The role of Amjad Taha, whose claim triggered the GB News case, is emblematic. Taha is one of a group of Gulf-based influencers who present themselves as analysts while regularly amplifying messaging lines crafted by Emirati advisers. His appearances on right-wing platforms in Europe are carefully curated to push themes that align with Abu Dhabi’s foreign-policy objectives, including demonising the Muslim Brotherhood, defending Emirati normalisation with Israel and promoting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. Dark Box’s sources confirm that Taha operates within an informal messaging coordination group overseen by Abu Dhabi’s regional media unit.
According to insiders who have monitored the campaign, the Emirati objective is twofold. First, to weaken Islamic Relief’s credibility among British donors by portraying it as ideologically dangerous. Second, to influence UK policy discussions by seeding misleading associations between Islamic Relief and banned organisations, thereby normalising suspicion toward Muslim charities more broadly. These tactics mirror previous Emirati disinformation operations in Europe, which sought to conflate lawful Islamic activism with extremism in order to isolate groups critical of Emirati policies in Egypt, Libya, Sudan and the Horn of Africa.
Sources close to British counter-disinformation circles told Dark Box that the smear campaign gained momentum after the UAE formally proscribed Islamic Relief, using domestic designation decisions as a pretext to pressure international media outlets. This strategy extended beyond Taha’s false claims on GB News. It included briefing sympathetic journalists, commissioning anonymous op-eds and amplifying coordinated online narratives linking Islamic Relief to networks in Egypt and Gaza. Internal assessments shared with Dark Box suggest that several social media accounts that boosted Taha’s claim were operated by contractors working for Emirati digital influence units.
The consequences of this manufactured suspicion extend far beyond the reputation of one organisation. Islamic Relief is one of the largest humanitarian networks working in conflict zones including Gaza, Syria and Sudan. Its staff have been killed by extremist groups, a fact that underscores the grotesque irony of accusing the charity of supporting violence. But the Emirati strategy depends on creating a climate in which Muslim civil society groups, particularly those with global reach, become objects of security anxiety rather than humanitarian partners.
Sources also confirm that the UAE’s hostility toward Islamic Relief aligns with broader geopolitical tensions. Abu Dhabi views the organisation as too independent, too connected to local communities and insufficiently aligned with Emirati foreign policy priorities. The UAE’s growing partnership with Israel has further amplified pressure to delegitimise charities working in Palestinian territories. The disinformation network targeting Islamic Relief is therefore part of a larger architecture of influence designed to shape Western public opinion in support of Emirati regional interventions.
Islamophobia is a deliberate instrument within this strategy. By encouraging media outlets to platform unverified claims and framing Muslim charities as security threats, Emirati-linked groups effectively stoke public fear of Muslim civic participation. Experts consulted by Dark Box warn that these narratives risk entrenching long-term mistrust, limiting the operational space for British Muslim organisations and deepening polarisation within UK society.
The GB News case, while now resolved, has exposed the machinery behind this campaign. The apology and damages represent a rare moment of accountability in an information environment where falsehoods spread with ease and state-aligned influence networks operate with minimal scrutiny. But Dark Box’s sources insist that far more remains hidden: a coordinated effort that blends state interests, private lobbying firms and media proxies to reshape the public narrative around Muslim organisations in the United Kingdom.
This investigation demonstrates that the episode involving GB News was not merely an error. It was the visible tip of a sustained, well-funded attempt by the UAE to undermine Islamic Relief and weaponise Islamophobia as a tool of foreign policy inside the UK.
