Denis M. MacEoin (26 January 1949 – 6 June 2022[citation needed]) was a British academic, scholar and writer with a focus on Persian, Arabic and Islamic studies. He authored several academic books and articles, as well as many pieces of journalism. Since 2014 he published a number of essays on current events with a Middle Eastern focus at the Gatestone Institute, of which he was a Senior Fellow.[1] He was a Senior Editor from 2009 to 2010 at Middle East Quarterly, a publication of the American think tank Middle East Forum, where he was also a Fellow.[1]
From 2006 to 2015 MacEoin wrote a blog entitled A Liberal Defence of Israel, "designed to correct the false impression that Israel is an illiberal, fascist, or apartheid state."[2] In 2007 he authored a report entitled The Hijacking of British Islam,[3] which garnered considerable criticism labelling him as a neo-conservative[4] and accusations of forgery.[5]
As a novelist, MacEoin wrote under the pen names Daniel Easterman and Jonathan Aycliffe.[1][6] MacEoin was a former Baháʼí[7] and wrote in 2009 that he considers himself a secular humanist.[8]
In early June 2022, MacEoin died at 73 due to coronavirus[citation needed] complications.