TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is planning to issue an edict on social media interactions in a bid to tackle the spread of fake news and hoaxes.

“High prevalence of irresponsible use of social media has led to fake, unverified news that can result in social discord and conflicts,” the MUI’s secretary of edict commission Asrorun Ni’am Sholeh told Antara News on Wednesday.

Therefore, he said, the MUI would need to provide a guideline for social media use.

“It will become a guideline on how to behave like Muslims in receiving information or steps to be done when receiving information since it could be either true or false,” Asrorun said.

He said that the MUI may ban Muslims from spreading other people’s wrongdoings regardless of their actual veracity.

“Islam forbids the act of ghibah [backbiting], the act of talking or spreading other people’s wrongdoings. Even if [the info] was a fact but if it contains ghibah, it is forbidden,” Asrorun said.

Moreover, he said, the edict may also regulate fact-checking.

The guideline may be formulated by the MUI in cooperation with the National Police and the Communication and Informatics, who would disseminate the policy on social media literacy and the fatwa itself.

ANTARA