Minorities in Sunni Muslim-majority Bangladesh have faced a series of attacks since longtime autocratic leader Sheikh Hasina was ousted in August 2024, but no video of a damaged mosque that was shared on social media shows the tension after the revolution. The clip was first circulated in news reports in October 2024 about communal violence against Muslims in nearby India.
“Murshidpur Darbar Sharif Mosque in Sherpur. Where is justice?” Facebook read in Bengali post published on November 28, 2024.
He also shared a 25-second video showing burnt materials scattered on the floor of a mosque.
Screenshot of the fake post taken on January 5th
The post circulation after Muslim hardliners attacked Murshidpur Darbar Sharif, a a Sufi Muslim shrine in the Sherpur Sadar district of northern Bangladesh, on November 27, 2024 (archive links here and here).
The Sufi tradition is a branch of Islam that is regularly labeled as heretics and heretics by hardliners from the Sunni Muslim majority (archive link).
The attack on the shrine is part of a series of violence against religious minorities since a student-led uprising against longtime independent leader Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 (archive link).
In the chaotic days following her ouster, Hindus – seen by some as supporting Hasina – as well as Muslim Sufi shrines have been targeted by Islamic hardliners.
The same video was shared elsewhere on Facebook here and here with similar applications.
But the clip was actually filmed in India.
Mosques in India
Find a background image search on Google longer version of the video from an Instagram post on October 9, 2024 (archive link).
Its caption said it showed the aftermath of an attack on a mosque at Kadamtala Bazaar in the a northeastern Indian state of Tripura.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the video shared in the fake post (left) and on Instagram (right):
A screenshot comparison of the video shared in the fake post (left) and on Instagram (right)
Another keyword search found news report along with a picture showing a similar scene published by the Indian media group The Siasat Daily (archive link).
He said that a Muslim man was killed, while a mosque and several shops were looted, vandalized and torched during communal clashes in Tripura's Kadamtala area. October 7, 2024.
The article went on to say that the fights started when a Hindu club “pressured” Muslims in the area to donate to a Hindu festival.
Indian media outlet Millat Times also included pictures of the damaged mosque inside video report published on October 11, 2024 (archive link).
Google Street View images matching the features of the mosque and its surrounding area seen in the fake post (archive link).
Below is a screenshot comparison of the video shared in the fake post (left) and Google Street View images (right) with similarities identified by AFP:
A screenshot comparison of the video shared in the fake post (left) and Google Street View images (right) with similar features identified by AFP
AFP has debunked further false allegations of violence against minorities in Bangladesh after Hasina's ouster here and here.
