These photos show events in Egypt, Romania, Pakistan and Gaza
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on March 10, 2020 at 05:00
- 6 min read
- By AFP Indonesia
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The images were published here on Facebook on February 27, 2020. The post has been shared 80 times.
The post's Indonesian-language caption translates to English as: “I’m not sure when it happened, but this is a sad story that happened in India ... People were killed. The church is burned ...
“Therefore, let's pray and forgive our enemies.
me: my God ?
God: why are you sad, child?
“me: Our church is burned, God
But why did You keep quiet?
“God: my child it was just a building that they burned, I did not say anything son, I let it happen to strengthen your faith, test how you can love your enemy ..
“All they burn is the building but they will not burn your faith ... Thank you son for entrusting me with revenge .. Remain firm in hope because I will never neglect you, the world does hate you but remember they hated me first just as I you are not from this world but from MY FATHER.
“Keep Praying I love you my beloved children ...”
Below is the screenshot of the misleading post:
The same images were shared on Facebook in November 2017 here with a similar claim. The post has been shared more than 2,900 times.
The claim is false; none of the photos show a damaged or burned church in India.
Google reverse image searches followed by keyword searches found the photos have appeared in various media reports and photos about a bombed church in Tanta, Egypt; a protest in Badami Bagh area, in the Pakistani city of Lahore; an Israeli airstrike that hit an apartment tower in Gaza; and a church engulfed by fire in Bistrita, Romania.
--Egypt bomb--
The first and second images show a damaged hall with blood stains on the floor. They are AFP photos of a bombed church in Egypt in April 2017.
The first photo in the misleading post is identical to this AFP photo shows the aftermath of a bomb explosion at the Mar Girgis Coptic Church, in the Egyptian town of Tanta, during the celebration of Palm Sunday on April 9, 2017.
The photo’s caption reads: “A general view shows people looking at the aftermath following a bomb blast which struck worshippers gathering to celebrate Palm Sunday at the Mar Girgis Coptic Church in the Nile Delta City of Tanta, 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Cairo, on April 9, 2017. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.”
Below is the screenshot comparison between the first image in the misleading post (L) and the AFP photo (R):
The second image in the misleading photo is this AFP photo, which was also taken on April 9, 2017.
The photo’s caption reads: “A general view shows forensics collecting evidence at the site of a bomb blast which struck worshippers gathering to celebrate Palm Sunday at the Mar Girgis Coptic Church in the Nile Delta City of Tanta, 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Cairo, on April 9, 2017. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.”
Below is the screenshot comparison between the second image in the misleading post (L) and AFP photo (R):
The attack in Tanta, which killed 27 people, was part of a double church bombings by ISIS in Egypt that day, which also hit a church in Alexandria, AFP reported on April 9, 2017, here.
The bomb attacks were also reported by Al Jazeera here and The Guardian here.
--Pakistan clash--
The third photo, which shows someone holding a large cross above a fire, previously appeared in this Reuters report on March 10, 2013, with a headline: “Pakistani Christians, police, clash after neighbourhood torched.”
The photo’s caption reads: “A demonstrator burns a cross during a protest in the Badami Bagh area of Lahore March 9, 2013.”
The report's first two paragraphs read: “Hundreds of Pakistani Christians took to the streets across the country on Sunday, demanding better protection after a Christian neighbourhood was torched in the city of Lahore a day earlier in connection with the country’s controversial anti-blasphemy law.
“Police fired into the air in Lahore and the country’s largest city, Karachi, to try to disperse protesters furious at the arson attack, which caused no casualties and was the result of an allegation of blasphemy.”
AFP published this report on March 9, 2013, about the anti-Christian protest, headlined: “Protesters burn Christian homes in blasphemy row.”
The AFP report's first three paragraphs state: “Thousands of angry protesters on Saturday set ablaze more than 100 houses of Pakistani Christians over a blasphemy row in the eastern city of Lahore, officials said.
“Over 3,000 Muslim protesters turned violent over derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed allegedly made by Sawan Masih, a 28-year-old Christian, three days earlier, police official Multan Khan said.
“The exact number of houses in Joseph Colony, a Christian neighbourhood in Badami Bagh area, were not immediately known but police and rescue officials said they belonged to low to middle-class families from the minority community.”
Below is a screenshot comparison between the third image in the misleading post (L) and the Reuters photo (R):
--Gaza air strike--
The fourth picture, which shows a large blaze among several buildings, matches this Associated Press photo, taken on August 23, 2014.
The photo’s caption reads: “A ball of fire rises from an explosion on al-Zafer apartment tower following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City, in the northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014. Israeli aircraft fired two missiles at a 12-story apartment tower in downtown Gaza City on Saturday, collapsing the building, sending a huge fireball into the sky and wounding at least 22 people, including 11 children, witnesses and Palestinian officials said.”
Al Jazeera also reported on the airstrike here.
Below is the screenshot comparison between the fourth image in the misleading post (L) and the AP photo (R):
--Romania church--
The fifth picture, which shows a burning tower, has previously appeared on the website for photo agency Alamy here.
The photo’s caption reads: “Burning Church, Bistrita, Romania 4”, and it says it was taken on June 11, 2008.
Bistrita is a town in Transylvania region, in northern Romania.
The fire that engulfed the tower of the Evangelical Church in Bistrita, in Bistrita-Nasaud county, was reported by Romanian media outlet Mediafax here on June 11, 2008.
Below is the screenshot comparison of the fifth image in the misleading post (L) and the Alamy stock photo (R):
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