Claim: A video shows Dubai authorities destroying a temple — likely the BAPS Hindu Mandir — after heavy rains lashed the UAE in April 2024 over concerns that the place of worship led to the catastrophe. Fact: The viral clip does not show a temple in the UAE being destroyed; in fact, the video predates […]
Claim: Minouche Shafik said in an interview, over a decade ago, that terrorism “is a form of protesting”. Fact: Shafik’s remarks have been misrepresented. She does not say terrorism “is a form of protesting” but that it is “really troubling” that “there’s actually quite a broad base of society which has some sympathy for the […]
Claim: Columbia University has cut diplomatic ties with Israel. Fact: The Republic of Colombia has severed ties with Israel, not the Columbia University in New York, US. Reiterating his stance on the war in Gaza, the Republic’s president, Gustavo Petro, announced the decision to break diplomatic relations with Israel on 1 May 2024. On 1 […]
Claim: A photo shows Dr Yasmin Rashid lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask after her health deteriorated twice in April and May 2024. Fact: While reports say Dr Rashid was hospitalised in April 2024, the viral picture of her is from 2023. On 20 April 2024, the Facebook page ‘Ali Farhan’ posted […]
Claim: An image shows Maryam Nawaz wearing a short pink dress, alongside two senior Punjab Police officers in bright pink clothes. Fact: The picture has been doctored, likely using the Generative Fill tool of Adobe Photoshop that uses artificial intelligence (AI). On 26 April 2024, X (formerly Twitter) user @MehreenAli99 posted (archive) a picture of […]
Claim: Minouche Shafik gave a Nazi salute during a US congressional hearing. Fact: Shafik did not make any such gesture. A photo showing the same has been altered and was initially published in a satirical article. On 18 April 2024, Facebook user ‘Harry K Watkins’ shared (archive) a picture of Columbia University President Nemat Shafik, […]
Claim: A video shows an April 2024 mugging incident wherein a woman and her elderly mother were robbed in broad daylight. Fact: The video is not recent. It is, in fact, from November 2022. On 18 April 2024, conservative Pakistani columnist Orya Maqbool Jan shared (archive) closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of a mugging. The video […]
Claim: A compilation of three videos shows Iran’s “response” against the United States and Israel following the April 2024 attack on the Islamic Republic’s consulate in Damascus, Syria. Fact: The footage in question is entirely unrelated to the recent military escalation between Iran and Israel. All videos predate Iran’s 14 April 2024 airstrike on Israel; […]
Claim: A video shows fish flopping around in a few inches of water in a supermarket after rainfall that led to unprecedented flooding in Dubai in April 2024. Fact: The video does not depict Dubai and is unrelated to the April 2024 flooding. It is actually from 2018 when an aquarium reportedly shattered in a […]
Claim: Salman Rushdie said Muslims’ “only goal is to destroy the whole nation by terrorism, bomb blasts, population explosion, riots and jihad in the name of Islam”. Fact: Rushdie has not made such a comment; in fact, he has denied ever having said this multiple times. On 15 April 2024, Facebook user ‘Eddie Hinman’ posted […]
Claim: A picture shows Benjamin Netanyahu on the ventilator. Fact: The image is fake and most likely AI-generated. On 2 April 2024, Threads user @rehan_khan_x posted (archive) an image showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the ventilator, alongside the following caption: “Praying for Netanyahu That he doesn’t wake up” The image surfaced around the […]
Claim: A video shows two Hindu girls being lynched to death by a “Muslim mob” in Lahore during Ramzan. Fact: The video shows women being harassed at a PTI rally back in 2016. It is neither recent nor related to any lynching. On 6 April 2024, X (formerly Twitter) user @bhagwakrantee posted (archive) a video […]