This image of people praying has circulated online since at least 2016
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on May 20, 2021 at 10:45
- Updated on May 20, 2021 at 11:34
- 2 min read
- By AFP Pakistan
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The image was posted here on Facebook on May 14, 2021.
“Palestinian Muslims offering Friday prayers,” reads the post's Urdu-language caption.
The Kashmir region has been a flashpoint for conflict between Pakistan and India since 1947.
The photo circulated online after violence escalated between Israel and armed groups in the Gaza Strip. AFP reported on the crisis here.
The image has been shared alongside a similar claim here, here and here on Facebook; and on Twitter here, here and here.
The claim, however, is false.
A reverse image search found the same photo posted here on June 25, 2016 by Indian media outlet Punjab Kesari.
Below is a comparison of the photo in the misleading posts (L) and the one published by Punjab Kesari (R):
The article states the image shows “youths who joined the prayer ceremony of the six terrorists killed in Lolab and Baramulla in Kupwara district...with stones in their hands”.
A keyword search in AFP's archives found a similar photo taken by AFP photographer Tauseef Mustafa on June 24, 2016 in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir.
According to the caption, the photo shows kashmiri protesters demonstrating against Indian rule of the disputed region.
“Police fired tear smoke shells and rubber bullets to disperse Kashmiri Muslim men protesting against Indian rule after June 24, 2016 congregation prayers near the main Jamia Masjid mosque,” it reads.
AFP reported on the clashes here.
UPDATE 20/05/21: Added mention of AFP photo
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