Family's 'ordeal' shows grievous abuse of social media

Al Ain: A Ministry of Interior official has warned against spreading false news after rumours went viral on social networks linking an Emirati family to a series of unfortunate events.

A source from the Ministry said that it took a serious view of the spread of rumours in UAE society and that it always tried to track down the source of such malicious information whenever it received a formal complaint.

'Tool of revenge'

The source called on all Blackberry users and people active on social networks to take advantage of technology but to desist from using it as a tool of revenge.

Police officials said authorities have directed the departments concerned to initiate legal action against those found responsible for the rumours. They said investigations have been launched into the rumours that four members of an Emirati family died in three separate incidents in the space of three days.

The supposed tragedy had gone viral in the community in Al Ain and it all started when a man is supposed to have sent an SMS to Janaza UAE, an organisation that offers funeral prayer services.

People are now relating the dark events to the family of S.S.M. According to the SMS, S.S.M's sister, A.S, who had been receiving medical treatment had died and that when he got the news he himself fell ill and died soon after.

An Arabic language paper subsequently reported that S.S.M was buried last Thursday afternoon, a day before his sister's body was brought home.

Mourning

The report said that while the family was still in mourning, it received news of the death of S.S.M's son A, 17, in a car crash on Saturday and S.S.M's widow, unable to bear the loss of her husband and son, also died, leaving her children — including a five-year-old daughter orphaned.

However, a source at Janaza UAE told Gulf News that the group tried to call the number from where the SMS was originally received but there was no answer.

"Our aim is to make people know and attend funeral prayers which are held in UAE mosques, to get Thawab [God's reward]. We will publish a clarification about the issue on Twitter," the source added.