International media coverage of the recent detention of around 60 members of Al Islah Reform and Social Association, an Islamist group in the United Arab Emirates, as well as various actions taken by the UAE government over the last 18 months against a tiny minority of critics linked with international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood, have tended to present the issue as one of an increasingly oppressive government cracking down on proponents of liberal reforms and supporters of human rights.

It is time to set the record straight.

When I was in my early twenties and part of Al Islah, I was told that we are part of the Muslim Brotherhood, although I subsequently left the organization because of my disagreements with its policy and strategy. I know many of those who have been detained and have dealt with them on numerous occasions, in particular when I was vice president for academic affairs at the UAE University.

One of the reasons I decided to leave Al Islah was because, as an Emirati who has lived and experienced the rapid progress of the UAE over the last few decades, I had become convinced that our country, thanks to its leadership, had played a unique role as a model for countries in the Middle East and North Africa region. We have seen the transformation of a tribal society to a modern state, creating synergy between people in a multinational society in a very short period of time.