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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

The QuintReligion & belief

Video shows people gathering near a mosque in Delhi's Daryaganj area

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a video shared as showing a large gathering near a mosque in Delhi’s Daryaganj area, where people were said to be violating lockdown rules. The review reports that Shiromani Akali Dal leader Manjinder Sirsa shared it on 29 April, tagging Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Sirsa later deleted his tweet, but the video continued to circulate with the same attribution. The review identifies the gathering as having taken place near Madina Masjid in Surat, Gujarat, on 26 April 2020—not in Daryaganj. It says people had gathered there for shopping during lockdown. The event was reported by news outlets on 27 April after the video went viral the previous day. To check the location, the review says it compared frames from the viral video with news reports showing the incident from another angle and found matching details. It then searched Twitter for “Surat mosque gathering” and found a post by Surat MLA Harsh Sanghavi carrying the same video. The review also cites a 27 April Business Standard report describing a crowd outside a mosque for shopping in Surat on 26 April. Together, the frame comparison and the matching video posted by a Surat representative support the review’s conclusion that the footage was misattributed to Delhi.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturReligion & belief

Angela Merkel hat in einem schriftlichen Grußwort den Muslimen in Deutschland einen gesegneten Ramadan gewünscht. Seitdem wird der Kanzlerin im Netz vorgeworfen, an Ostern habe sie kein Wort an die Christen hierzulande verloren.

Publisher’s rating: Das ist falsch. Kanzlerin und Regierungssprecher haben anlässlich der Osterzeit zu den Christen in Deutschland gesprochen.

The allegation arose after Angela Merkel’s written Ramadan greeting was published on 23 April 2020. It claimed that while she had sent Muslims in Germany good wishes, she had said “kein Wort” to the country’s Christians at Easter. The dpa review compared that allegation with statements and messages about Easter described in its report. The review points to a video in which Merkel discussed the approaching Easter holiday and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on celebrations. In it, she acknowledged that Christians would observe Good Friday and Easter Sunday, while noting they would not do so “in der Kirche, Seite an Seite mit den anderen Gemeindemitgliedern.” She also referred to future Easter celebrations when people could wish one another a happy Easter without restrictions. The review also describes an Easter greeting video published by government spokesperson Steffen Seibert on 11 April through the federal government’s social-media channels. He ended by wishing people “harmonische, gute und hoffentlich zwischendurch auch sorgenfreie Ostertage.” Taken together, these documented Easter remarks and the spokesperson’s greeting contradict the claim that Merkel and the government had said nothing to Christians during the Easter period.

Pagella PoliticaReligion & belief

«In sicurezza si potrà visitare un museo ma non si può celebrare una funzione religiosa? Questa decisione è incomprensibile»

Publisher’s rating: Nì

The review assesses Elena Bonetti’s 26 April criticism of the announced Phase 2 rules: she questioned how museums could be visited safely while religious services could not be held. It checks that comparison against the new decree and Conte’s announcement. The decree was to apply from 4 to 17 May; its article 1, paragraph j suspended public access to museums and other cultural institutions through 17 May. Conte had announced a planned reopening of museums, exhibitions and libraries from 18 May. Thus, the premise that museums would reopen from 4 May was incorrect. The rules did distinguish cultural venues from places of worship. Article 1, paragraph i allowed places of worship to open subject to measures preventing gatherings and enabling visitors to keep at least one metre apart. Civil and religious ceremonies were suspended from 4 May, but funeral ceremonies were allowed with close relatives, up to 15 people, and with precautions. The review therefore finds that Bonetti was right about religious services being suspended during that period, but her comparison omitted both the continued closure of museums and the conditional access to places of worship. The review also notes that the government said it would work on a protocol to enable worshippers to attend liturgical celebrations as soon as possible. That announcement did not change the rules already set for 4–17 May, but it qualified the claim that services would remain prohibited indefinitely.

YouturnReligion & belief

நெஞ்சம் பதறுகிறது. நாம் எப்படிப் பட்டவர்களோடு வாழ்ந்து கொண்டிருக்கிறோம். இறைவா என் தேசத்தை காப்பாற்று. நடு நிலை பேசும் நண்பர்கள் இசுலாமிய நண்பர்கள் இது போன்ற சம்பவங்களை கண்டிகாதது வருத்தம் அளிக்கிறது. திருந்துங்கள் திருத்துங்கள்… இல்லை எனின் பொதுஜன விரோதிகள் ஆவீர்கள்…

Publisher’s rating: Mix

YouturnReligion & belief

அரேபியர்கள் இன்னும் வீரத்துடன் எதிர்த்திருந்தால் ஒட்டுமொத்த இந்துக்களும் முஸ்லீமாக மாறியிருப்பார்கள். திருமுருகன் காந்தி என்கிற டேனியல்காந்தி திமிர் பேச்சு

Publisher’s rating: Fake

The QuintReligion & belief

Muslims came out on streets in Maharashtra to offer prayers and attacked cops on duty

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a video said to show Muslims gathering to pray near a bridge in Malegaon, Maharashtra, and attacking police who tried to disperse them. The Quint’s review identifies the location as Yellamma Bridge and says an incident did occur there on 23 April 2020, but that the viral posts gave it a false communal interpretation. According to the review, people had gathered to complain about shortages of essential supplies, not to offer prayers. To check what prompted the gathering, The Quint says its WebQoof team contacted Malegaon Additional SP Sandip Ghuge and local journalist Prashant Bagh. Ghuge told the outlet that people had flouted lockdown rules to complain about a lack of essentials, and that neither Muslims nor Hindus had come out to pray. Bagh separately confirmed that the confrontation followed residents coming onto the streets around 8 am to raise concerns about essential services. The review also notes that a Maharashtra Times tweet mentioned an altercation between police and locals but did not explain its trigger. The Quint says an ABP Marathi bulletin confirmed details about Malegaon being a COVID-19 hotspot. Taken together, the accounts support that there was a police-local confrontation, while contradicting the video post’s claim that the crowd was Muslim and had assembled for prayers. The review characterizes that communal framing as false.

FACTLYReligion & belief

Video of a burqa-clad Muslim woman being denied a food kit for being a Muslim

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerned a social-media video that appeared to show a burqa-clad Muslim woman being refused a food kit because of her religion. FACTLY reports that the clip did not show the full interaction: the video changed to another visual as the woman came to receive the kit, creating the impression that she had been turned away. The review identifies the distributor as Rajeev Mishra, whose name could be heard in the posted video.