Qatar likes to present itself as a beacon of modern Islam: pious, tolerant, and outward-looking. The reality, as proved by its introduction of a new speech ban, falls a little short.

As Human Rights Watch notes, “The new text does not define who determines what is a rumor or fake news, how to make such a determination, or what standards are to be used in doing so. It also fails to require that the information shared causes real harm to a legitimate interest.”