Did Groups From India, Pak Clash Inside Bangladesh Mosque? A Fact-Check

Multiple social media users shared a video claiming that it showed a tussle between two groups of Tablighi Jamaat members, that allegedly broke out over “who would perform Halala with a Bangladeshi woman”. It was further claimed that one group supported India's Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad, while the other backed Maulana Tariq Jameel, the chief of Pakistani Tablighi Jamaat. 

However, the PTI Fact Check Desk, in its investigation, found the claim to be false. The video was actually of clashes that broke out between followers of the former and current Khatibs of Bangladesh's national mosque, Baitul Mukarram, on September 20, 2024. The old video was shared on social media as recent with a false claim. 

Claim

A Facebook user shared on December 21 a video, claiming that it showed a fight between two groups of Tablighi Jamaat, one from India and the other from Pakistan, over who would perform Halala with a Bangladeshi woman. “A total of 12 people have died so far in the incident,” it claimed.

Here's the link, archive link, and screenshot of the post. 

Investigation

The Desk ran the viral video through InVid Tool Search and found several keyframes. On running one of the keyframes through Google Lens, the Desk came across an Instagram post by ‘Briefly by NEWJ', which was shared on September 21, 2024. We found that the post carried the same video as shared on social media. 

Here's the link, archive link, and screenshot of the video. 

According to the details published by NEWJ, “The video showed a violent clash broke out at Dhaka's Mukarram National Mosque, leaving at least 50 people injured. The confrontation occurred between followers of the mosque's former Khatib, Mufti Ruhul Amin, and current Khatib, Mufti Waliur Rahman Khan, during Friday's sermon.” 

Below is also a combination image, which shows that the video shared on social media was the same as the one shared by NEWJ in September 2024.

To further corroborate the details, the Desk conducted a customised keyword search and came across a news report by the Bangladeshi daily, The Dhaka Tribune, on September 20, 2024. The report confirmed that before Friday prayers, a violent clash erupted between followers of the current and former Khatibs of the mosque, resulting in a scuffle and damage to property. A total of 50 people also suffered injuries in the incident. 

Here's the link and screenshot of the news article published by Dhaka Tribune. 

“According to sources, the current Khatib, Mufti Waliur Rahman Khan, was delivering a sermon when the former Khatib, Mufti Ruhul Amin, arrived at the mosque with his followers and attempted to take the microphone. This led to a confrontation between the followers of both Khatibs, resulting in physical altercations. Several people were injured, and many worshippers were disturbed by the chaos, prompting some to leave the mosque,” read a section of the report. 

Subsequently, the Desk concluded that an old and unrelated video from Bangladesh was shared on social media as recent with a false communal claim.

CLAIM

Video of a clash between two groups at Bangladesh's Baitul Mukarram mosque shared on social media with a false claim; Details inside

FACT

The viral video is of a clash that occurred between the followers of the former and current Khatibs at Bangladesh's national mosque, Baitul Mukarram.

CONCLUSION

Multiple social media users shared a video, claiming that it showed a scuffle between two groups of Tablighi Jamaat over who would perform Halala with a Bangladeshi woman. In its investigation, the Desk found that the video showed a fight that broke out between followers of the former and current Khatibs at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Bangladesh. The unrelated video was shared on social media with a false claim.

(This story was originally published by Press Trust of India, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective)