EGYPT: While the controversy into the Facebook data breach is ongoing, Egypt’s grand mufti has come forward with a decree declaring the buying of ‘likes’ on the social media platform to boost one’s page forbidden in Islam.

The mechanism is commonly used by Facebook group owners to garner followers so that they can give a rise to the user numbers, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported.

“Boosting content is permissible in Sharia law as long as it’s in a manner to promote an account, a product, a page or a publication in order for the content to reach a certain number of user targeted in exchange of money,” Shawki Allam was quoted as saying.

Allam, however, added that if the number of likes, or those who have followed an advertised product is not reflective of real-life circumstances, it can then be termed an “immoral” and “deceiving” act, and hence the religious law doesn’t allow it.

According to the mufti, boosting some content can be considered permissible as it is simply the money that the page controller spends in return for a service, which in this case will be termed reaching out to a certain number of audience.

Allam explained that boosting page interaction by means of fake ‘reactions’ or ‘likes’ or ‘comments’ is a blatant violation of honesty. The method is based on fraud and is misleading to the audience as it does not reflect tangible numbers in any way.

He also pointed out that the policies on the social media platforms clearly state that the pages cannot have fake, deceiving or misleading content.