<p>A Qatari women's activist who had said she faced threats from her family and sought asylum in Britain has resurfaced on social media, four months after she disappeared from public view.</p>.<p>Noof al-Maadeed, who is in her early 20s, posted videos from an unknown location and on a new Twitter account, giving assurances she was safe and well.</p>.<p>"Noof is here. Noof is alive. Noof isn't dead," she said in one video, smiling and wearing a black hijab.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/qatar-seizes-rainbow-coloured-toys-it-deems-un-islamic-1063151.html" target="_blank">Qatar seizes rainbow-coloured toys it deems 'un-Islamic'</a></strong></p>.<p>"I'm fine, I'm healthy and I'm safe. This video is to reassure everyone who showed their support," she added in another post, without explaining her absence.</p>.<p>The hashtag #WhereIsNoof started circulating after Maadeed stopped posting in October, following her return to Qatar after abandoning a bid for asylum in Britain.</p>.<p>Maadeed, who has criticised the treatment of women in her conservative Muslim homeland, had issued a series of tweets claiming her family tried to harm her.</p>.<p>Her case comes at a time of heightened focus on human rights in the gas-rich Gulf country, a year before it hosts football's World Cup.</p>.<p>Maadeed said she opened a new Twitter account because she had lost her password for the old one, which had more than 16,000 followers.</p>.<p>In one tweet, she posted a picture of balloons and birthday cakes -- one of which said "Welcome home" -- and thanked Qatar's social affairs and family minister, Mariam al-Misnad.</p>.<p>"I hope that this is a start of Qatari authorities taking steps to ensure that she can live an independent and free life," said Rothna Begum, senior women's rights researcher for Human Rights Watch.</p>.<p>"We are calling on the authorities to support her decisions about her safety and care, and respecting her freedom of association and expression."</p>.<p>Maadeed has used her social media accounts to denounce Qatar's guardianship laws, which require adult women to obtain male approval for everyday activities.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
<p>A Qatari women's activist who had said she faced threats from her family and sought asylum in Britain has resurfaced on social media, four months after she disappeared from public view.</p>.<p>Noof al-Maadeed, who is in her early 20s, posted videos from an unknown location and on a new Twitter account, giving assurances she was safe and well.</p>.<p>"Noof is here. Noof is alive. Noof isn't dead," she said in one video, smiling and wearing a black hijab.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/qatar-seizes-rainbow-coloured-toys-it-deems-un-islamic-1063151.html" target="_blank">Qatar seizes rainbow-coloured toys it deems 'un-Islamic'</a></strong></p>.<p>"I'm fine, I'm healthy and I'm safe. This video is to reassure everyone who showed their support," she added in another post, without explaining her absence.</p>.<p>The hashtag #WhereIsNoof started circulating after Maadeed stopped posting in October, following her return to Qatar after abandoning a bid for asylum in Britain.</p>.<p>Maadeed, who has criticised the treatment of women in her conservative Muslim homeland, had issued a series of tweets claiming her family tried to harm her.</p>.<p>Her case comes at a time of heightened focus on human rights in the gas-rich Gulf country, a year before it hosts football's World Cup.</p>.<p>Maadeed said she opened a new Twitter account because she had lost her password for the old one, which had more than 16,000 followers.</p>.<p>In one tweet, she posted a picture of balloons and birthday cakes -- one of which said "Welcome home" -- and thanked Qatar's social affairs and family minister, Mariam al-Misnad.</p>.<p>"I hope that this is a start of Qatari authorities taking steps to ensure that she can live an independent and free life," said Rothna Begum, senior women's rights researcher for Human Rights Watch.</p>.<p>"We are calling on the authorities to support her decisions about her safety and care, and respecting her freedom of association and expression."</p>.<p>Maadeed has used her social media accounts to denounce Qatar's guardianship laws, which require adult women to obtain male approval for everyday activities.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>