Amman, Feb 3 (Petra) - The mother of eight-year-old Malak said her daughter died as a result of airway obstruction caused by a blood clot and arrived at the hospital deceased, adding that the child had a long medical history.

Some social media accounts had claimed that her death was caused by a power outage.

The mother told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) on Tuesday that her daughter’s medical history began when she was two years old, as she suffered from lung and bronchial disease and had received a medical exemption, with her condition monitored regularly. Over six years, she had a heart mesh and occluder implanted, underwent catheterization, and suffered a 55 percent motor disability.

She said her daughter died five days ago, on her birthday, while in her father’s arms and surrounded by care, adding, "But it is God’s will and destiny." She explained that electricity had been cut off two weeks earlier and later restored by the family themselves, and that no donations were collected to pay the bill, stressing that claims to the contrary were false.

She said her and her husband’s grief over their sick daughter did not deter some social media users from spreading falsehoods, publishing her photos without permission, and claiming she died while on an oxygen device due to a power cut, which she denied. She added that claims of collecting money to restore electricity were also untrue, as power was restored without any donations.

The mother said, "We woke up in the morning and suddenly found ourselves the topic of social media. Social media increased our grief and made us feel as if we had failed our daughter before her death, despite pampering her and providing everything she needed. But it is God’s will. She had been ill for a long time, and we will not forgive anyone who exploited our child for attention and likes, published her photos without our consent, and falsely claimed to collect donations, when we never reached out to anyone." She said her husband works from morning until evening without fatigue, and that she stopped teaching to care for her daughter, who required continuous attention. Throughout those years, the family did not turn to charities or social media for donations, but relied on their own work to provide care for their children.

She concluded: "Our beloved has passed away, but we will not forgive those who violated our grief and intensified it on social media. It has not even been five days since her death, and they violated our privacy and spread lies. They did not respect the sanctity of a deceased child whom we tried to protect in life and in death, and we will not forgive them." Several social media accounts had circulated information accompanied by photos of the child, claiming she died after electricity was cut off while she was on an oxygen device, which the mother denied, stressing that her daughter was ill and died by God’s decree.

The Jordan Media Credibility Monitor (Akeed) published its report for last December, noting that 90 percent of rumors that month originated from social media platforms. It recorded 86 false news items out of 96 monitored, at an average of three false reports per day.

//Petra// AF