Joking On Social Media About Terrorist Involvement May Have Legal Consequences: Dubai Police

Dubai Police asked people not to joke about their involvement with extremist groups. If anyone shares such claims on social media, even in good humor, they may get arrested.

Joking about being a part of extremist groups may lead to legal consequences in Dubai. According to Dubai Police’s Al Ameen service, joking about such things is considered as “irresponsible behavior” on social media.

According to Gulf News, Dubai Police may penalize anyone cracking jokes on social media about something which potentially threatens the security of the United Arab Emirates. One of the examples of such jokes can be joking about a terrorist group to scare friends. Such “thoughtless behavior” may lead to legal troubles for the person who does it.

Al Ameen services asked people to get in touch if anyone gets any suspicious calls. It advises people against revealing personal information on social media to avoid frauds. According to reports, the services got 5,493 reports between January and June 2015.

Al Ameen provides fax number for people from UAE and abroad. It also provides email id, WhatsApp number and BlackBerry PIN so that people can report.

A Dubai-based Indian journalist reportedly moved to Syria in August to join the Islamic State group. In July, UAE and the United States established an ISIS messaging center that was launched to use social media against ISIS propaganda online.

U.S. President Barack Obama earlier asked Arab allies to counter the strong online presence of the terrorist organization. He hinted that defeating ISIS in its online efforts would be a major setback for the group. The “Sawab” Center, which means the “proper way,” is one of the most concrete responses to Obama’s call, CBS News reported. The center will be based in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the country.