I received this email a few months ago and was so incensed I replied to everyone on the (very long) mail list and directed them to the truth.
It resulted in a blazing row with a friend of the family who thought it was just 'a bit of fun' and that I should 'get a sense of humour'.
Snopes is your friend when it comes to stuff like this. They are not always accurate but they're usually a lot better than the viral emails.
See here..
Snopes-Etihad a340