An image of a group of Muslims offering namaz on rooftops is doing rounds on social media, with a claim that Muslims in India are gathering together for prayers defying the nationwide lockdown, and not maintaining physical distancing.
Facebook page “हुक्का और खाट” posted the image with the caption, “ये मजहब से वफ़ादारी हो सकती है परन्तु क्या यह वतन से गद्दारी नही.? (Translation: This act can be faithful to the religion, but isn’t this being traitor to the country?).
Twitter user Krishna Bihari shared the image with an incendiary message targeting Muslims. He tweeted: “@narendramodi जी बस इन 🐖🐖🐷🐷को आप रोक लेना नही तो ये Lockdown पूरे मई खींच जायेगा। इन जमातियों के कारण ही ये Lockdown 3 मई तक पहुंच गया। #Lockdown2 #bandrastation (If you do not stop these (image of pigs) then this lockdown will drag on. It is because of these Jamaatis, the lockdown was dragged to May 3).
@narendramodi जी बस इन 🐖🐖🐷🐷को आप रोक लेना नही तो ये Lockdown पूरे मई खींच जायेगा।
इन जमातियों के कारण ही ये Lockdown 3 मई तक पहुंच गया। #Lockdown2 #bandrastation pic.twitter.com/WTmjUviUpc
— Krishna Bihari 🇮🇳 (@Krishna_Bihari) April 14, 2020
Fact Vs. Fake
The Cognate’s Fact Vs. Fake did a reverse search of the image, and we found a barrage of social media posts about the picture, mostly orginiating in the Middle East.
The Kuwaiti-based news portal Khalejia News, tweeted the video of the people praying on the rooftop with the hashtag Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, which is a town in Kuwait.
الصلاة جماعه فوق السطح!!#جليب_الشيوخ pic.twitter.com/nQAzN2hRTa
— خليجية نيوز (@khalejianews) April 9, 2020
Howver, according to AltNew’s report, the incident is from Dubai, UAE.
Whether it is from Kuwait, UAE or anyother Middle Eastern country, the image is definietly not from India. However, it was shared by thousands in India blaming Muslims for violating the lockdown.
