Is Amina Arraf Story A Hoax?

I blogged about the disappearance of Syrian blogger Amina Abdalla. Now there are reports that Abdalla may not even exist.

But although many Syrian activists said they had corresponded with Arraf online, none acknowledged actually meeting her. A friend in Montreal, Sandra Bagaria, who started a campaign for Arraf’s release and said she knew her well, said she had corresponded with Arraf only by e-mail. Photographs of Arraf released by the friend and on her Web site are of a woman in London, Jelena Lecic, who said her identity had been stolen, according to a statement from the woman’s publicist.

The cousin, Rania Ismail, whose Facebook page identifies her as a “fulltime mommy” in Lilburn, Ga., did not respond to e-mails, although she had previously corresponded with journalists. Spokesman Mark Toner said the State Department was “seeking to confirm the details of [Arraf’s] case — including her citizenship.”

A British woman, Jelena Lecic, said the photos of Arraf/Abdalla are actually of her.

Read more »

Blogger Amina Abdalla has Been Abducted

Amina Abdalla is the author of the blog A Gay Girl in Damascus. Abdalla has written negatively about the Syria's repressive government. Abdalla has been a target of the government for quite some time. Abdalla's cousin, Rania O. Ismail, told Abdalla's readers that she was abducted.

Read more »