No, This Is Not a Photo of a Qatari Anchorwoman
The Claim
The photo depicts Qatari anchor Fatima Shaikh on national TV expressing concern about religious freedom in India.
News posted on
Emerging story
Social media users have circulated the image of a veiled news anchor with her head bowed, claiming it shows Qatari anchor Fatima Shaikh on national TV expressing concern about religious freedom in India.
A Twitter user posted the image with the caption: “Qatari anchor Fatima Shaikh on national TV expressing concern about religious freedom in India,” using the hashtag #HindusUnderAttackInIndia.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has investigated the circulating claim and found it to be misleading.
Original Image of Afghan Anchor Taken Out of Context
Using Google Image Reverse Search, we found that the image is old and already posted to AP Images. The photo depicts “TV anchor Khatereh Ahmadi bowing her head while wearing a face-covering as she reads the news on TOLO NEWS, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, May 22, 2022.”
In Afghanistan, “Taliban rulers have begun enforcing an order requiring all-female TV news anchors in the country to cover their faces while on-air,” Associated Press reported.
Religious Freedom in India
The claim began to circulate after two officials of the Indian ruling BJP party made offensive remarks about the Prophet Muhammad in their recent statements. Following these comments, the party has suspended the two members and released a blanket statement mentioning that the BJP party respects all religions.
The remarks have triggered an international diplomatic storm engulfing the BJP party after thousands of Muslims have rallied across many countries, including India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, over the “derogatory remarks” on the Prophet. Protestors in India have raised slogans against the government, calling for arresting the two BJP members.
