JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's highest Muslim clerical council is to issue an edict, or fatwa, declaring the spreading of fake news un-Islamic, the organisation's chairman said on Wednesday. "We will issue it as soon as possible, because the situation is worrying," said Maaruf Amin, chairman of the Indonesia Ulema Council. The case arose from an incorrectly subtitled video, which went viral on social media late last year, of comments that Purnama made about his opponents' use of the Islamic holy book in political campaigning. President Joko Widodo has repeatedly urged social media users to refrain from spreading fake news and the government has invited executives from social media giant Facebook for talks this month to help combat the problem. The council last year issued a fatwa against clearing land for plantations by burning vegetation, in an effort to prevent smoke pollution that blankets Southeast Asia almost every year.

Source: The Star February 01, 2017 08:03 UTC