WebQoof Recap: 'Taliban's Chief Secretary' Talking About RSS & More

From a quote falsely attributed to APJ Abdul Kalam to misinformation around a Nandi idol while digging a mosque.

From a quote about 'religious intolerance' falsely attributed to late former President APJ Abdul Kalam to a morphed photo of CNN.

(Photo: Arnica Kala/The Quint)

From a quote about 'religious intolerance' falsely attributed to late former President APJ Abdul Kalam to misinformation about finding an idol of a Hindu deity, Nandi, while digging a mosque, here's what misled the public this week.

1. No, APJ Abdul Kalam Didn't Say This Against Madrasas or Quran

A newspaper clipping of a quote about the Quran (a holy book in Islam) being used to 'teach religious intolerance in madrasas' (Islamic institutions of learning) and advising a ban on them to 'control terrorism' in India is being shared on social media, attributing it to late former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

However, we found no public record or news report that attributes the quote to Kalam. Speaking to The Quint, Kalam's nephew said, "Kalam never interfered with religion."

You can read our fact-check here.

2. Video of Pakistan Scholar Shared as 'Taliban Chief Secy Talking About RSS'

A video of a man, identified as the chief secretary of the Taliban, is doing the rounds on social media with a claim that he is talking about the 'power of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)'.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Screenshot)

However, we found that the man in the video is an Islamic scholar named Khalid Mehmood Abbasi from Islamabad, Pakistan who isn't affiliated with the Taliban. Speaking to The Quint, Abbasi clarified that while the Taliban came to power recently, this video is from 2019.

You can read our fact-check here.

3.Nandi Idol Found While Digging a Mosque? No, That's a Temple!

An image of Hindu deity Nandi's (sacred bull of lord Shiva) idol is being shared on social media with the claim that it was found while digging a mosque.

However, we found that the claim is misleading as the idol was discovered not while digging a mosque, but during the reconstruction work at the Sellandiamman temple in Tamil Nadu's Namakkal district.

You can read our fact-check here.

4. Morphed Image Shared to Claim Men Attended Pro-Taliban Gathering in Burqas

Social media users shared a photograph purportedly showing a man sitting, wearing a burqa in a hall full of burqa-clad women with a claim that it shows men attending a gathering in a Kabul university that was organised to show support to the Taliban.

However, we found the face of the man was morphed in the face of the person wearing a burqa to create a false narrative.

You can read our fact-check here.

5. Taliban Bans Sanitary Napkins? No, That's a Morphed CNN Screenshot

A screenshot purportedly showing an article published by international news organisation CNN stating that the Taliban has banned sanitary napkins in Afghanistan, is being shared on social media.

You can view the archived version here.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/ Screenshot)

However, we found that the viral screenshot used incorrect logo of CNN and had misspelled several words. We also couldn't find any news report on Taliban banning sanitary napkins after taking control over Afghanistan.

You can read our fact-check here.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)