Samar Al-Haysooni

Al Madina

Spreading rumors and unverified news taken from untrusted sources can often have serious consequences. I have previously written about the consequences of disseminating such rumors and how this affects Arab and Muslim societies.

Considering all of the issues the region is dealing with, there is a dire need for awareness about this issue. We need to understand that God has differentiated us from other creatures and blessed us with a brain to think critically and use wisely. We need to fully understand whatever we receive before forwarding it to someone else. This includes news shared from the news media or material found on social media websites. We should think logically of the news we receive and not fall victim to the malicious attempts to divide our society.

There are many people in society sharing fake news and claiming that it is absolutely true. Some of them even tend to get rude and defensive when anyone dares question the source of their claims.

It is necessary for the speakers of truth to be brave and capable of convincing their listeners. They must also support their claims with evidence. Some of us also need to understand that it is not wrong to apologize for sharing some fake news. In fact, those who admit that they have shared something wrong and apologize for doing so are the stronger ones.

I truly hope that our youth will realize the negative effects of spreading rumors, especially on social media. These rumors may, in one way or another, have a negative impact on our society.