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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

Bhutan has become the first country in the world without Mosques

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The claim combines two points: that Bhutan has no mosque and that it is the first country in the world without one. FACTLY’s review says its search found a prayer hall for Muslims at Bumthang, Ura Highway, in Semtokha, Bhutan. It describes the facility as part of the Dantak temple building, which has four sections for Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians to pray. On that account, Bhutan does have a Muslim prayer facility, even though the review says no other prayer hall or mosque for Muslims had been constructed there. The review also challenges the claim of being first by naming Monaco and Slovakia as other nations without mosques. Its conclusion is therefore that Bhutan is not the only country without mosques; that does not support the post’s assertion that Bhutan has become the first. The distinction in the review is between a mosque and the shared prayer hall it identifies in Bhutan. The supplied excerpt reports the review’s findings but does not provide independent documentation for the facility or for the status of mosques in Monaco and Slovakia.

FACTLYReligion & belief

Mahesh Bhat, Swami Agnivesh, Aacharya Pramod Krishnam, and Congress leader Digvijay Singh are masquerading as Hindus while being Muslims

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The viral post named four public figures—Mahesh Bhatt, Swami Agnivesh, Acharya Pramod Krishnam, and Congress leader Digvijay Singh—and alleged they were Muslims pretending to be Hindus. FACTLY assessed each person separately rather than treating the group allegation as a single biographical claim. Its findings distinguish between religious upbringing, religious practice, and, in Bhatt’s case, a reported conversion later in life. [S1: “A photo collage featuring notable individuals such as Mahesh Bhatt, Swami Agnivesh, Aacharya Pramod Krishnam, and Congress leader Digvijay Singh is being shared across various social media platforms. Sharing the image, a post alleges that these four individuals are masquerading as Hindus while being Muslims.”] For Agnivesh, the review says he was born into a Brahmin family but later renounced his name, caste, religion, family, and possessions to become a sanyasi. For Krishnam, it cites his election affidavit, which gives his name and identifies his late father, and reports no aliases in the document; it also notes that an earlier allegation that he came from a Muslim family and was originally named Gul Shamad Khan had been debunked. For Digvijay Singh, FACTLY refers to an Election Commission biography and an election affidavit, saying they support his Hindu birth and self-identification as a Hindu. [S1: “In his election affidavit, Acharya Pramod Krishnam stated his name as such and identified his late father as Jaswanth Singh. No additional aliases were mentioned in the document.”] [S1: “According to the biography on the Election Commission of India website, Digvijay Singh was born in Indore on 28 February 1947, to the late Shri Balbhadra Singh and late Shrimati Aparna Kumari. Moreover, he self-identifies as a follower of the Hindu faith.”] Bhatt’s case is more qualified than the post’s blanket allegation suggests. The review reports that he was born to a Muslim mother and Hindu father, and that news reports say he converted to Islam to marry Soni Razdan. It also says he is not currently practicing Islam. Thus, the review’s account does not support presenting all four as Muslims masquerading as Hindus: it describes two as Hindu by birth and practice, Agnivesh as born Hindu but having renounced religious identity, and Bhatt as reportedly having converted but not currently practicing Islam. [S1: “Further, according to news reports, later in life, Bhatt converted to Islam to marry Soni Razdan but is not currently practicing Islam.”]

Fact CrescendoReligion & belief

र्काधारी महिला को प्रभु श्रीराम से इतनी नफरत क्यों? सड़क पर स्कूटी खड़ी की और फिर प्रभु श्रीराम की तस्वीर पर अंडे फेंके। महाराष्ट्र के छत्रपति संभाजीनगर की है घटना।“

Publisher’s rating: False

YouturnReligion & belief

சென்னை மாதவரத்தை தலைமை இடமாகக் கொண்டு திரு.B.பிரம்ம நாயுடு என்பவரால் திருமலாபால் 1996ம் ஆண்டு முதல் தென்னிந்தியா முழுவதும் அனைத்து தரப்பு மக்களுக்கும் பால் தயாரிப்பு பொருட்களை வழங்கி வருகிறது. தற்போது திடீரென தயிர் டப்பாவில் ‘ஹலால்’ முத்திரை இட வேண்டிய அவசியம் என்ன?

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

Fact Crescendo Sri LankaReligion & belief

බොදු බල සේනා සහ රාවණා බල සංවිධාන විසින් ජෙරොම් පූජකවරයාට එරෙහි සත්‍යග්‍රහයක් සංවිධානය කර නැහැ!

Publisher’s rating: False

The claim concerned social-media posts alleging that the Buddhist organizations Bodu Bala Sena and Rawana Balaya were jointly preparing a large satyagraha to pressure the government to arrest pastor Jerome Fernando. Fact Crescendo says it investigated that specific allegation, which arose amid criticism of Fernando’s remarks about other religions. The review reports that it checked whether mainstream media had reported such a protest, but found no such report: “මෙවැනි පුවතක් ප්‍රධාන ධාරාවේ මාධ්‍ය වාර්තා කර ඇතිද යන්න අප සොයා බැලුවා.නමුත් එවැන්නක් දක්නට ලැබුණේ නැහැ.” The investigation then sought responses from both organizations. Bodu Bala Sena’s media unit said there was no plan to hold such a satyagraha, and Rawana Balaya convener Iththakande Saddhatissa Thero likewise said there was no such plan and that the posts were false. The review’s conclusion rests on these direct denials: “බොදු බල සේනා මාධ්‍ය අංශය මෙන්ම රාවණා බලය සංවිධානයේ කැදවුම්කරු ඉත්තෑකන්දේ සද්ධාතිස්ස හිමියන්ද පැවසුවේ සමාජ ජාලා සටහන්වල ඇති කරුණු සම්පුර්ණයෙන්ම අසත්‍ය බවයි.” The review also distinguishes the alleged protest from a separate action: it says Bodu Bala Sena confirmed that its general secretary, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, had made a written complaint to the Criminal Investigation Department concerning Fernando. That complaint does not establish that the two organizations had organized a joint satyagraha. The review separately notes that a warrant for Fernando’s arrest was issued by the Fort Magistrate’s Court on May 17; it does not present that warrant as evidence of a planned protest.

FACTLYReligion & belief

“హిందువులు, బుద్ధులు, క్రిస్టియన్స్ అందరూ చచ్చే దాకా జిహాద్ కొనసాగుతుంది. మీ సహనం, లౌకికం మా సిద్ధాంతాలను మార్చలేవు. అల్లా యొక్క ముస్లింస్ తప్ప ఎవరూ బతకడానికి అనుమతి ఇవ్వలేదు” – అబ్దుల్లా జుబిర్‌

Publisher’s rating: FALSE