Pictures of Jamal Khashoggi during the demonstration in front of Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, 25 October 2018. Picture by Depo Photos/Zuma Press/PA Images. All rights reserved.The brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist, has sent shockwaves around the world and highlighted the mendacity of the Kingdom he once called home.
The liberal press has painted Khashoggi as a pioneering reformer and uncompromising dissident who was killed for cutting too close to the bone in his criticisms of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In response, some US right-wing outlets have described Khashoggi as an Islamist, an al-Qaeda sympathiser and a secret Muslim Brotherhood operative, killed because MBS saw him as an extremist threat. The characterisation fits neatly into the Saudi Kingdom’s own narrative. In a phone call with the White House, Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman described Khashoggi as a dangerous Islamist and Brotherhood member.
