Photo does not show a Qatari news anchor expressing thoughts about religious freedom in India
Photo does not show a Qatari news anchor expressing thoughts about religious freedom in India
(Reuters) - Social media users are sharing an image of a news anchor with her head bowed with false claims she is a Qatari news anchor speaking about religious freedom in India. The image shows Afghan anchor Khatereh Ahmadi bowing her head as she read the news on TOLO News in Kabul, Afghanistan in May 2022.
One user shared the image with a caption that reads: “Qatari Anchor Fatima Shaikh on national TV expressing concern about religious freedom in India.”
Meanwhile, another user shared the claim, but added “#sarcasm” to the caption (here).
Examples of the claim shared online can be seen (here) and (here).
On June 13, 2022, India’s government sought to calm anger at home and abroad after two officials of the ruling BJP party made remarks about the Prophet Mohammed, with 38 people arrested for rioting in a northern city.
However, the image does not show a Qatari news anchor speaking about religious freedom in India.
The original photograph is available on AP Images (here ) with a description that reads: “TV anchor Khatereh Ahmadi bows her head while wearing a face covering as she reads the news on TOLO NEWS, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, May 22, 2022. Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have begun enforcing an order requiring all female TV news anchors in the country to cover their faces while on-air. The move Sunday is part of a hard-line shift drawing condemnation from rights activists. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)”.
VERDICT
Misleading. The image shows TV anchor Khatereh Ahmadi reading the news on TOLO NEWS, in Kabul, Afghanistan in May 2022, not a Qatari news anchor.
