The Curious Case of Amina Abdullah Part 2

In this post, I talked about the controversy surrounding Syrian blogger Amina Abdullah and her purported abduction.

Then, this happened (al-Jazeera English). An American (ugh, why did it have to be an American) living in Scotland admitted he made Amina Abdullah up. In the first of two posts on the blog, he balked at accepting any criticism: "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." The second post, on the other hand, is full of profuse apologies. In it, MacMaster fully explicates how he became Amina and couldn't stop himself from escalating his obsession. It is both fascinating and, in my personal opinion, kind of creepy. 

Some who were taken in and some who weren't have reacted fiercely, angered that activists who could've been spending their time on worthier pursuits were instead led on a wild goose chase of a campaign to free a non-existent blogger. The Guardian and other media outlets among the first to pick up the hoax are also under fire for not digging into the blog author's identity before running with the story. 

More on the fallout in this Youtube video of a CBC interview with Mona Eltahawy, who knew MacMaster. She makes some good points about how this whole ordeal, while reaching a wide audience in the West, likely has had little impact in Syria. That might help MacMaster sleep a little better at night.