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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Religion & belief fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about religion & belief. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

3,371 published reviews in this topic

FACTLYReligion & belief

Picture of the Virabhadreshwara temple that emerged while demolishing a Mosque in Raichur, Karnataka

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The claim concerns the 2016 demolition of the Ek Minar Mosque in Raichur, Karnataka, and an image said to show a Virabhadreshwara temple uncovered during that work. The review reports that the demolition was carried out by district authorities as part of a road-widening project. Some Hindu groups alleged that pillars exposed by the demolition resembled sculptural pillars found in Hindu temples; the review says this resemblance did not establish that a temple had been there. To examine the image, the review describes a reverse image search and found that the same photo, accompanied by a similar claim, had circulated on social media since at least 2016. It also compared the mosque image in the post with a photograph of the Ek Minar Mosque published on TripAdvisor. The review’s account of other reporting says that coverage recorded the allegation and calls for investigation, but did not confirm that the pillars belonged to a Hindu temple. The review also reports that Alt News contacted the former Raichur District Magistrate who was in post when the road-widening orders were passed. The official said the social-media information was untrue, explained that old structures can have varied carvings, and cautioned that one pillar alone could not establish that the building was originally a temple. The review concludes that no Virabhadreshwara or other Hindu temple emerged during the mosque’s demolition.

FACTLYReligion & belief

Video of an ancient temple that is now converted into a Mosque in Mangalore, Karnataka

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a video circulated as showing an ancient Hindu temple that was converted into a mosque in Mangalore. FACTLY identifies the site in the video as the Zeenath Baksh Masjid, in the city’s Bunder area, and says there is no evidence that it was built on a Hindu temple. The review therefore disputes the claim that the video depicts a converted temple. To identify the footage, the review says it examined the video for a watermark reading “Thousand shades of India,” then searched using those words. It reports finding a video with similar visuals on that Instagram account and says its caption identified the location as the ancient Zeenath Baksh Masjid. The review also consulted historical information on the Karnataka Tourism website and the mosque’s Facebook page. The historical account presented in the review says the mosque was believed to have been established by Arab traders with help from Raja Cheruman Perumal of Malabar, and that Tipu Sultan renovated it in the 17th century and named it after his daughter. These details describe the mosque’s reported history; the review’s central finding is that it found no evidence for the specific allegation that the building was constructed on a Hindu temple.

Rumor ScannerReligion & belief

কলিজা ফেটে চৌচির হয়ে যাচ্ছে। হে মালিক দিল্লির মসজিদে, যে সব হিন্দুরা, আগুন দিয়ে পুড়িয়ে, আমার ভাইদের শহীদ করেছে। তুমি শহীদি ভাইদের রক্তের বিনিময়, ভারতের শাসন ক্ষমতা, মুসলমানদের হাতে কবুল করে, মোদী সরকারকে, ফেরা উনের মতো, পতন ঘটিয়ে দাও।আমিন, ছুমমা আমিন

Publisher’s rating: False

FACTLYReligion & belief

Video of Muslims offering Namaz on the streets in India

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a social-media video presented as Muslims offering namaz on a busy street in India. FACTLY reports that it investigated the video shared with that claim and concluded the footage was recorded in Istanbul, Turkey, not India. The review identifies the location as Tiryanki Hasan Pasha Street. FACTLY describes two steps in its investigation. It searched for information using reverse-image searches of screenshots from the video, but says those searches did not initially yield reliable information. It then examined details visible in the footage: billboards above the businesses were written in Turkish, and one sign read “Yücel par – Renault & Dacia.” The review says searching that business name and using the location information led it to a vehicle-parts shop on Tiryanki Hasan Pasha Street in Istanbul. It also says Google Street View showed the exact location. These clues connect the video to a specific street in Istanbul and support the review’s finding that the clip does not depict the claimed Indian setting. The article further notes that FACTLY had previously addressed a similar, but distinct, claim involving a man praying on a busy street in Istanbul and footage said to show London.

FACTLYReligion & belief

Recent video of Ram Navami celebrations in Mumbai

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The claim concerns a video shared as showing recent Ram Navami celebrations in Mumbai in 2022. FACTLY’s review concludes that the footage was old and depicted a different event: Chinchpoklicha Chintamani Mandal’s Ganapati Visarjan in 2019. It reports that the mandal is in Maharashtra and holds large Ganapati Visarjan gatherings, rather than identifying the video as a Ram Navami celebration. The review describes several steps used to assess the video. It says a cap bearing a logo resembling the mandal’s name was visible in the footage. A reverse-image search of video screenshots, using relevant keywords, located the same video in a Facebook post uploaded by the mandal on 2 April 2020. That post described it as Ram Navami celebrations in Mumbai in 2020, but the review notes that a nationwide lockdown was in effect in April 2020, making a gathering of that size implausible. The review also reports two further checks: a mandal committee member confirmed to The Quint that the footage was from the 2019 Ganapati Visarjan, and similar visuals from that 2019 event were available for comparison. On the evidence described, the video’s apparent link to Ram Navami does not establish its date or event; the review identifies it as 2019 Ganapati Visarjan footage, not recent Ram Navami celebrations.

FACTLYReligion & belief

Photo collage with the images of Lal Chowk showing that Ram Navami was not celebrated at Lal Chowk, Srinagar

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The collage juxtaposed an image of Lal Chowk with a Pakistani flag and an image of a Ram Navami procession, implying that the festival had not been celebrated there before 2014. The review says the flag image was from 2010 and the procession image was from 10 April 2022. It reports that the flag image was found in a blog post from 2011 and describes the flag-raising as part of separatist protests; the 2022 image, in turn, showed a Shobha Yatra by Kashmiri Pandits at Lal Chowk. Those two images therefore depict different events and do not establish that Ram Navami celebrations began only after 2014. (S1) The review addresses that implication with earlier examples: it points to an image of a procession in 2013 and another of a Ram Navami celebration at Lal Chowk in April 2014. Since the Modi government formed in May 2014, those examples place celebrations at Lal Chowk before its formation. The review also notes that a Pakistani flag was hoisted there again in 2016, so the 2010 flag image does not by itself establish that the location was free of such incidents after that year. Taken together, the review’s account supports the conclusion that the collage’s implication about the absence of pre-2014 Ram Navami celebrations is misleading. (S1)

FACTLYReligion & belief

Video of a Hindu groups attacking the Luthra Sharif Dargah in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The video was shared as showing Hindu groups attacking the Luthra Sharif Dargah in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. FACTLY’s investigation identifies the footage as a procession passing the dargah during a Shobha Yatra held on 2 April 2022 for Hindu New Year celebrations. It reports that the video was filmed as the procession passed the site, but that no attack took place. The review describes checks of the video’s provenance and accounts from people familiar with the event. A reverse-image search found a video with similar visuals posted by journalist Vishnukant, who said the footage had been presented out of context. The review also reports that he said the rally turned around after passing the dargah and participants returned home without a confrontation. The dargah spokesperson, Riyaz Ashrafi, told a Dainik Bhaskar correspondent that the video was from the 2 April procession and that a welcome program had been organized at the dargah. He confirmed that there was no attack. Sipat police likewise said no attack occurred, describing the scene as people accompanying a vehicle as it turned around. The evidence therefore supports that the video shows a procession at the dargah, not an attack there.

Vishvas NewsReligion & belief

सोशल मीडिया वर एक व्हिडिओ शेअर करून दावा करण्यात येत आहे कि महाराष्ट्राच्या इसाई शाळेत एका मुसलमान टीचर ने जबरदस्ती शाळेत नमाज वाचायला लावली, त्यानंतर मनसे च्या राज ठाकरे च्या कार्यकर्त्यांनी त्याच मुसलमानांकडून भगवे स्कार्फ घालायला लावले. व्हैदेव मध्ये एक माणूस काही महिलांना भगवे स्कार्फ घालून देताना दिसतो.

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

Vishvas NewsReligion & belief

ரூஆஸா தயாரிக்கும் நிறுவனம் – ஹம்தர்த்” ஒரு இஸ்லாம் நிறுவனமான முஸ்லிம் வக்ஃப் வாரியத்தினால் உரிமை கொள்ளப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. அதன் அனைத்துப் பணியாளர்களும் முஸ்லிம்கள். வெள்ளிக்கிழமையன்று, இந்த நிறுவனம் ஒரு மசூதியாக மாறுகிறது. ஹிந்துக்கள் இந்த நிறுவனத்துக்குள் காலடி எடுத்து வைக்கக் கூட அனுமதிக்கப் படுவதில்லை. அதை முழுவதும் புறக்கணியுங்கள். இந்த செய்தியை எவ்வளவு முடியுமோ அவ்வளவு ஃபார்வேர்ட் செய்யுங்கள் பொதுமக்கள் விழிப்புணர்வுக்கு பங்களியுங்கள்

Publisher’s rating: FALSE