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| - Recently, a video that purportedly shows Muslims in Afghanistan demolishing a temple of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, circulated and went viral on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
View the posts promoting this claim Here (Archive), Here (Archive), Here (Archive)
Fact-Check
An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team has revealed that the video, purportedly showing Muslims in Afghanistan demolishing a temple of Gautama Buddha, actually depicts vandalism at Sahan Ara Begum Park in Barisal, Bangladesh. This vandalism occurred in the aftermath of the ousting of Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024.
Analysis of the video shows a group of people vandalizing a structure while chanting “Takbir.” The structure being vandalized contains Bangla inscriptions, and individuals involved can be heard speaking in Bangla. Furthermore, the video features a watermark from the TikTok user @sotterpothe71.
Following this lead, the TikTok account was identified, and a review revealed that the same video had been posted on this account on August 5. However, the post did not provide any details regarding the location of the video. Analyzing the account’s activities confirmed that the user is based in Bangladesh.
Subsequently, a reverse image search of a key frame from the video led to a report published on September 30 by the YouTube channel of Somoy TV. The report (available here) discusses the “Bir Muktijoddha Sahan Ara Begum Park,” located on the C&B Road in Barisal City, along the Dhaka-Kuakata Highway. The infrastructure of the park, as highlighted in the report, matches that seen in the viral video.
The report further states that the park was constructed in 2022 by Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, the then-Mayor of Barisal City Corporation and General Secretary of the Barisal Metropolitan Awami League. He built the park on a bypass lane of the highway in memory of his late mother and named it “Bir Muktijoddha Sahan Ara Begum Park.” On August 5, during widespread student protests and uprisings, agitated crowds vandalized the park.
A report from Ajker Patrika (available here) describes how, in response to Sheikh Hasina’s resignation on August 5, jubilant protesters in Barisal actively engaged in vandalism, looting, and arson at various locations. The report lists Sahan Ara Begum Park among the vandalized places.
Moreover, images of the park from Google Maps confirm the similarities with the structures seen in the viral video.
Conclusion
The viral video, recorded during the vandalism at Sahan Ara Begum Park in Barisal, Bangladesh, on August 5, is being falsely shared as footage of Muslims demolishing a Buddhist temple in Afghanistan, which is false.
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