Abdo Khal Okaz newspaper One can find websites that are replete with defamatory statements and insults against people as well as places. Because these rumors and misconceptions have spread like wild fire on the Internet many people tend to believe them and treat them as facts. I don't know why Makkah and Madinah are now being targeted on the Internet. Just the other day, Jeddah was described as a city of decadence and sin on the net. It was alleged that many terrible things happen here which are beyond imagination. However, several Jeddah residents and religious scholars retaliated and dispelled these rumors and defamatory claims. There are incessant attempts to desecrate our two holy cities — Makkah and Madinah — and these are intentional. Some people are trying to defame the image of these two cities. Such reports are clearly malicious and seek to spark fury among people and make them rise up to defend their cities. These reports are part of a negative propaganda with hidden political objectives and seek, as I said, to make people get furious and take action. Therefore, we should be smarter and beware of such reports. We should not spread them because there is no shred of truth in them. Unfortunately, some of us contribute play a role in spreading them. Sometimes, we get SMS text messages full of fabricated claims from unknown people. The sender recommends that one should send his message to others. We unknowingly help in disseminating false information. The other thing is that sometimes the Hai'a members handle certain situations in Makkah or Madinah in a way which some sections of the people don't like. Invariably the event is blown out of proportion and exaggerated in the media. I hope that people stop spreading and publishing reports which are not beneficial to the common man. Every one of us protects his family and home against false charges. We should do the same for Makkah and Madinah. Any false information or report about these two cities should not be promoted. The truth must prevail.
