Dubai: Panellists at the Emirates Media Forum called on the UAE government to create a body that monitors and responds to rumours spread by terrorist and extremist parties or individuals, with the aim of inciting youth against their country and disturbing the country’s internal security.
The emergence of social media has made it easier for extremists targeting the UAE to spread rumours among millions of people in a matter of minutes, said panellists. For this reason they unanimously agreed that a government body is needed to monitor such rumours, at the session titled ‘Propaganda warfare’.
Panellist Alia Al Ameri, a writer who is interested in social media and has over 20,000 followers on Twitter said youth today have easy access to social media and any radical or extreme idea they read or see online can affect the way they think.
She stressed the dangers of extremists reaching and employing youth through social media by recalling her son’s experience who got brainwashed by a Muslim brotherhood member.
“Unfortunately I almost lost my son because of these extreme organisations. He travelled to America and, once he landed, texted me saying ‘sorry mom I won’t come back.’ I informed the authorities who managed to bring him back against his will and I found out his friend’s mother, a Muslim Brotherhood member, had brainwashed him and convinced him that his country would not benefit him, and he should travel abroad if he wishes to pursue his career.
When Alia asked him more questions, she found out that the friend’s mother had told her son, who loves photography and drawing, that he should travel from the US to Turkey to reach ‘Jabhat Al Nasr’ in Syria because the views there are spectacular and will make great pictures
She said her son didn’t even know that it was where all the extremist fighting was going on.
“I know many families who lost their children this way and I know that extremists are targeting youth through social media, which is why I can’t stress enough the need for a body that monitors round the clock all rumours that attempts to affect the UAE negatively.”
Mariam Al Kaabi, a writer and a critic, said a monitoring body is needed in what she called the “golden age of rumours”. She also called on the media itself to counterattack those who are trying to negatively affect the UAE’s internal affairs.
“There are currently four media stations that are targeting and attacking the UAE by spreading rumours. Where is the UAE media? I don’t see any programme or article that is negating them and spreading awareness about their intentions and revealing who is spreading them?”
Panellist Mohammad Yousuf, President of the UAE Journalists Association, said the majority of rumours are spread by residents who have innocent intentions and are not aware that by tweeting or spreading a rumour they themselves are affecting the country’s welfare and security.
He called for more awareness and a body to monitor the rumours which negatively affect the county.
Lawyer and writer Habib Al Mulla, on the other hand, called on authorities to be more aggressive in implementing the law and taking action against such rumour spreaders.
He said the UAE has laws but there is no one monitoring social media extensively and implementing it. He said law implementers are moving too slow for the social media.
