Crackdown on the Islamists continue
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    • UAE

    Reports noted that at least 10 local Islamists have been arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the past several days as part of a widening crackdown on dissidents. A total number of around 20 dissidents, most of them Islamists, have been arrested since July 15, 2012 by the UAE authorities in investigating a foreign-linked group planning "crimes against the security of the state". Activists say around 40 dissidents have been arrested since March this year. Many of them are Emiratis but an Omani and stateless residents of the UAE were among those detained. Most of the men detained over the past months are from the more religiously conservative emirates such as Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah, which are also less affluent than the oil-rich capital Abu Dhabi and trade hub Dubai. The UAE authorities are concerned about the rise of Islamists in their country and last week Dubai police chief Dahi Khalfan warned of an "international plot" to overthrow the governments of Gulf Arab countries, saying the region needed to be prepared to counter any threat from Islamist dissidents as well as Syria and Iran. 1

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