Muslim Group Donates $87,000 to Family of Orlando Shooter-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
It’s been reported that a Muslim community group has donated $87,000 to the family of Orlando shooter Omar Mateeen, who killed 49 people at Pulse nightclub.
The Truth:
A fake news website is behind false reports that the Muslim community donated $87,000 to the Orlando nightclub shooter’s family.
The rumor started with an article published by Associated Media Coverage under the headline, “Muslim Community Donates $87,000 to Family of Orlando Shooter.”
The article begins:
According to several recent reports, the Muslim community has made a donation in excess of $87,000 to the family of Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen.
It’s currently unknown how the funds will be distributed, however it’s been said that the majority of the $87,000 will be allocated to Omar Mateen’s widow Noor Salman and father Seddique Mateen. Sources indicate that the remaining funds will be distributed among Omar’s siblings. Prior to distributing the donation, the Mateen family is expected to provide Omar with a ‘proper Islamic funeral’.
Within days, the fake article had been shared more than 30,000 times on social media. Many who read it were led to believe that the report was true, but that’s not the case.
But Associated Media Coverage isn’t a reputable news source. The site doesn’t clearly identify itself as fake news, but we’ve investigated plenty of its false reports in the past. There were false about states implementing a two-pet maximum law, and one about a curfew for motorcycle riders, just to name a few.
Just like past stories published by the site, the report that the Muslim community donated $87,000 to the Orlando shooters family is false.