Screenshot of Muwatin's Instagram account. Fair use.

Muwatin is one of Global Voices’ partners.

On World Press Freedom Day, we turn our attention to the independent outlets operating in exile due to censorship, harassment, or direct threats. One such voice is Muwatin, a London-based independent media outlet reporting on issues from the Arabian Gulf, founded by the editor and researcher Mohammed Al-Fazari.

Forced into exile from Oman after repeated arrests and ongoing repression, Al-Fazari now leads Muwatin from London, working with a dispersed team to produce critical, independent reporting on the Gulf region. Al-Fazari reflects on the origins of Muwatin, the challenges of sustaining journalism in exile, and the crucial role of independent media in times of shrinking freedoms.

Global Voices (GV): Let’s start at the beginning. Can you tell us about the context: how did Muwatin come to be, and what’s the story behind the website?

Mohammed Al-Fazari (MAF): Muwatin was founded in 2013, but the story really began long before that in Oman, where independent journalism simply doesn’t exist. Whether private or state-run, all media in the Gulf follows the same government-driven methodology. Sometimes we jokingly call it “email or PR journalism” — journalists just publish whatever comes from official PR departments, often without even leaving their desks or verifying information.

Mohammed Al-Fazari. Used with permission.

There’s no room for genuine investigative reporting. The private media sector is deeply intertwined with the state, sharing overlapping interests and relying heavily on government advertising. This dependency makes any kind of editorial independence nearly impossible. At the time, there were hardly any attempts to break out of this model. It took a personal experience to really push me to try.

In 2012, during a protest, I was arrested along with a group of activists and charged with two offenses: disturbing public order and unlawful assembly. Shortly afterward, I was transferred to a secret detention center along with a different group of activists for interrogation in a separate case, this time under the accusation of organizing to overthrow the regime. That case later shifted course and was reclassified as “insulting the Sultan.” I was convicted in the assembly case, while the second remained in court until it was eventually dropped following a general pardon issued for all those involved in political cases. 

While in prison, our colored photos, full names, workplaces, even home addresses were published in all newspapers, violating every norm of privacy and decency. That experience had a deep personal impact on me. When I was released, I realized I wanted to create something new — an independent experiment, if you will, that might push the boundaries of what was possible in Oman.

Muwatin started as a purely local and volunteer-driven project. I paid for the basic technical needs, but all the writers, journalists, editors, and designers volunteered their time because they truly believed in the mission. We never broke any laws, but even so, we faced constant pressures — imprisonment, interrogations, and being denied any sort of advertising or external support, which is illegal in Oman anyway. By December 2014, things became too difficult: my passport and ID were confiscated and still haven’t been returned. Nine months later, I left Oman for London, and that marked a whole new chapter for both myself and Muwatin.

Screenshot of Muwatin's website. Fair use.GV: How did things change for Muwatin after you left Oman and what were the practical and professional challenges you faced? Does the term “exile journalism” apply to your work?

MAF: Yes, “exile journalism” is an accurate term for what we do. When I left Oman, Muwatin’s mission also had to adapt. At first, we remained focused on Omani issues, but gradually, we expanded to cover broader Gulf and Arab topics. That transition was both strategic and necessary. As our editorial line pushed against “red lines” — topics like political criticism, gender, or minority rights — we found ourselves blocked in Oman and several other countries, so reaching audiences was a real challenge.

Personally, starting over in London meant rebuilding my life from scratch — socially, financially, and psychologically. All these pressures inevitably affected my work. I also had to balance studying for my master’s and PhD, which demanded a lot of my time.

Another challenge is the nature of the journalism we want to do. Our mission has always been to push boundaries and address taboo issues — politically, socially, religiously, and on gender. It’s not easy to keep that up from exile, and, for several years, our team had to work entirely in secrecy for their own safety. Between 2017 and 2021, there wasn’t a single public team member; everyone was either outside Oman or contributing anonymously.

Picture from one of Muwatin's live events. Used with permission.GV: How has your relationship with your audience changed, especially after you broadened your coverage?

When we focused only on Oman, people often accused us of being funded by foreign actors or having an anti-Omani agenda. After expanding to cover Gulf-wide issues, those accusations mostly disappeared. Omanis, as well as people from other Gulf countries, began engaging more — sharing, retweeting, and even attending our webinars and events. Some participants were even aligned with the Omani government, which was a breakthrough for us.

The reality, though, is that Gulf societies lack a real tradition of independent civil society or media plurality. In countries like Lebanon or Egypt, you can find several major newspapers openly disagreeing on politics; in the Gulf, all outlets look and sound the same. This “single voice” culture makes it difficult for people to support anything that’s perceived as dissenting.

Even among the diaspora, financial support is almost non-existent. We’ve had a donation link open for years, but not a single donation has come in. People are simply too afraid.

GV: So how does Muwatin sustain itself financially, if advertising and donations are not options?

We’re in a very challenging position. Advertising is impossible — no business owner would risk associating with us. Google ads aren’t an option either, unless you have millions of visitors daily, which we don’t yet, and it would only disrupt the reader experience. So our only support comes from organizations, and we insist that it remains unconditional, but such support is limited and progress is slow.

To put it into perspective, the support we receive doesn’t even cover 20 percent of our operational needs or ambitions. Personally, I feel torn between two conflicting paths. On one hand, dedicating myself fully to Muwatin is essential to ensure its continuity and growth, but this comes at the cost of both financial and psychological stability. On the other hand, taking on a different job outside of Muwatin might offer that stability, but it would inevitably come at the expense of Muwatin’s sustainability and development. I’m still resisting the second option, trying to hold the line, but how long I can keep going this way — I honestly don’t know. 

GV: Besides financial issues, does working in exile expose you to security threats or affect your connection to home?

Absolutely. Next July marks ten years since I left Oman, and I haven’t been able to return even once. If I want to keep up my political activism and continue publishing Muwatin, it’s simply not possible to go back. Even my books or articles wouldn’t be allowed.

The Omani authorities have a policy of keeping people “within the fold.” If you leave, they’ll often reach out, trying to entice you to come back with promises. But “a normal life” doesn’t really exist for dissidents. People who return are pressured either to cooperate with the system or remain silent.

Compared to other Gulf countries, Oman is less harsh — if I were Saudi or Emirati, my family would probably face continuous harassment. In the beginning, my brother and a group of close friends were arrested, and my family — some of whom were especially vulnerable — had their passports confiscated and were questioned. Things have calmed down now, but the personal toll is still there.

Screenshot from Muwatin's website. Fair use.GV: Over these 12 years — almost 10 of them in exile — what’s the hardest type of story to cover from abroad? Is there a story or topic that means the most to you?

The hardest thing is to produce objective, investigative reporting from outside. There’s no legal protection for sources, and no right to access information, as you’d find in the UK or Europe. Inside Oman, sources are afraid to talk — even the families of detainees sometimes ask us not to publish their stories out of fear for their safety. Covering human rights abuses in the Gulf remains the most challenging part of our work. One mistake could cost us all our credibility.

Being outside makes it harder to verify facts, build trust with sources, and respond quickly to developments. But we do our best to create impact and keep independent journalism alive, no matter the constraints. Whenever possible, we try to find alternatives to direct sources by relying on open data and verified figures. 

That said, in recent years, thanks to several strategies we’ve worked on, it has become increasingly clear to many in the Gulf that Muwatin is an objective media platform, not driven by an agenda of demonization. This shift became more evident as Muwatin expanded from a local to a Gulf-wide focus. As I mentioned earlier, we've reached a point where we can access first-hand sources from within, including some with ties to the regime itself. 

Still, our ambition is to deepen this access by positioning ourselves in the minds of our audience as a credible institution. We aim to shape a mental image where Muwatin stands for fearless journalism that pushes boundaries, not for the sake of opposition, but to reflect people’s concerns, address their needs, and act as a genuine fourth estate.