Fury over 'Gay Girl in Damascus' hoax

2011-06-13 11:00

London - Rights campaigners reacted furiously on Monday after a US student based in Scotland unmasked himself as the author of the "Gay Girl in Damascus" blogs, which charted the security crackdown in Syria.

Tom MacMaster, a 40-year-old Edinburgh University masters student, admitted on Sunday that he was "Amina Abdullah", who had described "herself" as a Syrian political blogger.

The Abdullah character rose to fame with her reports on the pro-reform movement, posting as "an out Syrian lesbian's thoughts on life, the universe and so on".

Then last Tuesday someone claiming to be her cousin wrote on the website that Abdullah had been snatched off the street by three armed men and bundled into a car bearing a pro-government window sticker.

The report sparked a wave of alarm among her online followers. Supporters even set up a "Free Amina Abdullah" group on the social networking site Facebook, attracting nearly 15 000 followers.

MacMaster finally came clean in a posting on his blog on Sunday, after doubts began to emerge as to whether Abdullah really was for real. He admitted that he was the sole author of the posts.

No harm done?

"I never expected this level of attention," MacMaster wrote in an "Apology to readers" posted on the blog.

"While the narrative voice may have been fictional, the facts on this blog are true and not misleading as to the situation on the ground.

"I do not believe that I have harmed anyone - I feel that I have created an important voice for issues that I feel strongly about," MacMaster added.

"I only hope that people pay as much attention to the people of the Middle East and their struggles in this year of revolutions."

The Guardian newspaper said that in recent days, bloggers had uncovered evidence that pointed towards MacMaster and his wife Britta Froelicher.

MacMaster is a Middle East activist, while his wife is studying at Scotland's St Andrews University for a doctorate in Syrian economic development.

Anger

In his apology, MacMaster said he had been touched by the reaction of readers.

But the revelation of the hoax has sparked fury among some former followers of the blog, particularly those who had been campaigning for Abdullah's release.

"This just makes me so angry," said one comment on the Facebook group set up to press for her release.

"The situation in Syria is too dire for this sort of gameplaying!"

"Time and effort was taken away from other vitally important news stories happening in Syria," another contributor protested.

- AFP