eid – Radio Free

Waterlogged Kolkata street did turn red after Eid qurbani: Alt News ground report rebuts police cyber cell’s denial

Ankita Mahalanobish — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 11:52:55 +0000

After Bakri Eid was celebrated in India on Saturday, June 7, a video went viral on Facebook claiming to show a blood-filled road in Kolkata following the Qurbani (sacrificial) ritual.

Several users shared visuals of a blood-filled road and remarked sarcastically, “This isn’t Bangladesh or Pakistan…” Some stated that parts of Kolkata resembled “scenes from Bangladesh”. The posts also claimed that the visuals were from Ward 44 in Kolkata. (Examples: 1, 2, 3, 4)

BJP leader Sajal Ghosh who represents Ward No. 50 in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), also shared the video on Facebook and claimed that it was from the Bhawani Dutta Lane and Neel Madhab Sen Lane areas of Bowbazar. In the post, He also urged ‘urban, smart, ultramodern seculars’ to wake up unless they wanted the same picture to emerge from their localities within four-five years.

খুশির ঈদে খুশির বন্যা l

না এটা বাংলাদেশ না পাকিস্তান, এ আমার সাধের মধ্য কলকাতার বউবাজার অঞ্চলের ভবানী দত্ত লেন ও নীল মধব সেন লেন অঞ্চলের ছবি l

ঈদ কুরবানী একটি সম্প্রদায়ের নিজস্ব বিষয়, সে নিয়ে আমি কিছু বলবো না, কিন্তু যে প্রাণীকে আমরা পূজা করি, তার এই পরিণতি আমাদের ভাবাবেগকেও আঘাত দেয় l
অদ্ভুতভাবে প্রশাসন এবং পুরসভা চোখে ঠুলি পড়ে আছেন‌ l
তাই সমস্ত শহুরে স্মার্ট অত্যাধুনিক সেকুলার মানুষজনকে আমার অনুরোধ নিজে জাগুন অন্যকেও জাগান l

নয়তো আর ৪-৫ বছর বাদেই ঈদের দিনের এটাই আপনার পাড়ার ছবি হবে।
Sajal Ghosh BJP West Bengal Kolkata Municipal Corporation

Posted by Sajal Ghosh on Sunday 8 June 2025

On the same day, the X handle of the West Bengal Police Cyber Crime Wing shared a related fact check. It picked up a Facebook post from a user named Nepal Saha, which contained six photos of purported Eid celebrations in Kolkata, and labelled them as fake. One of these photos is a screenshot from the viral video. The fact check claimed that the photos originated in Bangladesh, with a 2016 post from Dhaka cited as the source. However, the viral video screengrab is not part of the 2016 post, and only two of the five others flagged as fake can actually be traced back to it. (Archive)

A disturbing image falsely linked to Kolkata post-Eid is actually from Dhaka, 2016, after Eid-ul-Adha and heavy rain. It has no connection to West Bengal.#factcheckthetruth #factcheck #Bangladesh #WestBengal pic.twitter.com/SVSPwxr748

— Fact Check : The Truth (@t20274) June 8, 2025

We found a website (https://factcheck.wb.gov.in/) bearing the same logo which published the same fact check. The website describes itself as “the Fact Check Portal of the West Bengal Cyber Crime Wing (which) is ready to tackle the menace by presenting verified, accurate, reliable information…”. Note that it uses a gov.in domain.

We tried reaching out to the cyber cell of Bengal Police. When we called on their number, they asked us to speak to the social media cell. The officer who spoke to us from the social media cell confirmed that the fact check had indeed been done by West Bengal Police’s cyber cell. However, he said the concerned person was on leave and only he could enlighten us about it. When we called up again the next day, we were met with the same response — that the person in the know of things was not available.

Alt News Visited the Spot

Taking a cue from Sajal Ghosh’s Facebook post, Alt News was able to precisely identify the spot featured in the viral clip. Bhawani Dutta Lane and Neel Madhab Sen Lane are two narrow streets near the College Street — Mahatma Gandhi Road crossing, stones throw from the Presidency University. We visited the site and shot a video that shows the same area that is seen in the viral clip.

The business establishments visible toward the end of the footage all carry Kolkata addresses. (Outlined in red in the screengrabs below)

Click to view slideshow.

Key landmarks visible in the viral video — including a distinct red-coloured house, a grey coloured building with light blue stripes, and a black car — can be seen in the Alt News video as well. The grey building houses the historical and current sections of the West Bengal state archives and bears the address: 6, Bhawani Dutta Lane.

These elements have also been highlighted below:

Click to view slideshow.

Have Never Seen Streets Turn Red Like this Before: Locals

To understand what transpired, we spoke to several locals. They recounted that on the intervening night of June 6 and June 7, the area experienced heavy rainfall resulting in severe waterlogging. On Saturday, June 7, morning, the ritual of qurbani (animal sacrifice) was carried out in keeping with religious tradition, local residents observed.

With the lanes being already waterlogged from the overnight rain, blood from the animal sacrifices mixed with the stagnant rainwater. Locals themselves came forward to manually clear the drains before the intervention of the civic body.

Alt News spoke to a local shop owner, Rajesh, who said he had lived and worked in the neighbourhood for over four decades. He told us that he had never witnessed anything like this before.

“I’ve been living and working in this neighbourhood for over 40 years, and I’ve never witnessed anything like this. The area indeed gets waterlogged whenever it rains, and the ritual of qurbani is performed here every year. But this is the first time I’ve seen such a scene — it was truly unprecedented.” Rajesh also confirmed that the video shows his locality and is from last Saturday.

The same information was corroborated by another shop owner from the area who told us that he had been in business there for around five to seven years and “had never seen anything like it.” “The water was red and there was a pungent smell”, he told us.

To further corroborate the events, we spoke to another family that had been residing there for over 60 years. They told us that in all their time living there, they had never witnessed such a disturbing sight. According to them, waterlogging is a recurring issue whenever it rains — and Friday was no exception. That evening, the area experienced heavy rainfall, which led to water accumulation due to clogged drains. “I was born and brought up here. In my lifetime, this was the first time I had witnessed something like this. Yes, the streets get waterlogged after a heavy shower. And on Friday, we experienced a heavy rainfall, which led to the accumulation of water.”

“Even at around 7 am, the water was clear, and likely after an hour, it turned red. Yes, it was accompanied by foul odour,” members of the household told Alt News. they did not want to be named. The time of the water turning red was corroborated by two other witnesses.

When asked whether the ritual of qurbani is practised every year on Eid al-adah, the family said, “Yes, but it has never affected the neighbours in any manner.” They also observed that a few local residents took the initiative to clear the clogged drains using sticks in an attempt to improve the situation. Shortly after these efforts, municipal workers arrived, cleaned the affected area, and restored normalcy. “We saw a few locals trying to unclog the drains with sticks. And later the municipality intervened and cleared it up.”

Kamal Pandit, a priest at a nearby temple, repeated the same point — that this was unprecedented. “I have been working here for the past six years. In this span, I have never seen a filthy sight like this. Whenever it rains, the area gets waterlogged, but I have never seen it turn red. It was cleared up in the afternoon.”

To sum up, Alt News’ on-ground investigation confirmed that the viral video was indeed authentic and were filmed in Kolkata. On the night of June 6 (Friday), the city witnessed heavy rain in certain areas, including Bhawani Dutta Lane in central Kolkata. As a result, following the Qurbani (sacrificial) ritual on Bakri Eid the next day, the already waterlogged lanes turned red, possibly due to contamination with animal blood. However, the X handle of Bengal police’s cyber crime wing issued an inaccurate fact-check of a Facebook post carrying a screenshot from the same video, incorrectly claiming that it was from Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2016.

This story will be updated if we receive a response from the cyber cell of police.

The post Waterlogged Kolkata street did turn red after Eid qurbani: Alt News ground report rebuts police cyber cell’s denial appeared first on Alt News.

This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Ankita Mahalanobish.

Cattle slaughter in residential complex: Old video from Dhaka falsely shared as Bakri Eid in West Bengal

Shinjinee Majumder — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 09:08:36 +0000

A video of cattle being slaughtered in an open space is viral on social media with the claim that the video was shot in West Bengal on the occasion of Bakri Eid. In the background, a woman can be heard speaking in Bengali, saying that over 200 cows have been slaughtered in a residential complex with over 1000 flats. Several Right-wing influencers have shared the video claiming it was from West Bengal.

User @ManojSr6058309 tweeted the video with the same claim. (Archive)

*देख सको तो देखो*

*बंगाल में बकरीद मनाने का दृश्य*

*200 से ज्यादा गाय काटी गई*

*वो भी रेसिडेंसियल कॉप्लेक्स के सामने* pic.twitter.com/6x9HL2dvdD

— Manoj Srivastava (@ManojSr60583090) June 18, 2024

Verified user @changu311 tweeted the same video and asked “Did anyone gift a beef dish to Mamata Banerjee?” (Archive)

Did anyone gift a beef dish to Mamata Banerjee?
Look at West Bengal, This is Eid celebrated in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/uPDLTUYTFJ

— Gayatri (BharatKiBeti) (@changu311) June 18, 2024

Right-wing influencer @SaffronSunanda tweeted the same video from her verified handle with the same claim. “Is this a celebration or intentional show off of power of Islam ? Jahils for a reason”, she remarked. She later deleted her tweet. Here is an archive.

Several other users have amplified the viral video with the same claim. (Archives- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Click to view slideshow.

Fact Check

We noticed a watermark on the viral videos with the username @AshwiniSahaya, which corresponds to ‘journalist’ Ashwini Shrivastava. Upon examining his Twitter account, we discovered that he uploaded the viral video on July 1, 2023. In his caption, he stated that the visuals were from a housing society in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and were filmed during the celebration of Bakri Eid.

Hindus Celebrating Holi in India ( festival of colour)? No, This visual is from a housing society in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Eid al-Adha / Bakrid 2023 ! pic.twitter.com/BT7u5ks9vP

— Ashwini Shrivastava (@AshwiniSahaya) July 1, 2023

A reverse image search of one of the buildings seen in the viral videos led us to two sources: a Facebook page titled “স্বপ্ননগর-১ ফ্ল্যাট মালিক (Shopnonagar-1 Flat Owners) গ্রুপ” and a YouTube video called “Shopnonagar Residential Flat Project, Mirpur, Dhaka.” The cover photo on the Facebook group’s page and the buildings shown in the YouTube video match the ones seen in the viral video. The YouTube video, posted three years ago, shows the buildings while they were still under construction. However, the window patterns in the video match those in the viral footage. Below is a comparison.

In the viral video, the Bengali words ‘কমিউনিটি ভবন’ (Community Hall) are visible on one of the buildings. Next to this building, there is another signage with red text, though the words are illegible due to the poor video quality. When we looked up pictures of the Shopnonagar residential complex on Google Maps, we found an image of the community hall area and discovered that the building next to it is the Masjid (written in Bangla in red). Here is the link to the Google Maps image.

We located the mosque (Masjid) of the Shopnonagar residential complex on Google Maps and compared the street view with the scenes from the viral video. This helped us identify the specific housing complex in Dhaka where the cow slaughtering had taken place and the building from which the viral video had been filmed. Here is the link to the street view.

The yellow circle in the above comparison shows the Masjid and the white rectangle shows the street where the slaughter took place.

Hence, it can be conclusively proved that the viral video being shared with the claim that it is from a residential complex in West Bengal is false. The video is old and was actually shot at a residential complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The post Cattle slaughter in residential complex: Old video from Dhaka falsely shared as Bakri Eid in West Bengal appeared first on Alt News.

This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Shinjinee Majumder.

Central Asians Celebrate Eid In Russia Amid Tight Security After Moscow Terror Attack

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 19:53:29 +0000

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Israeli authorities shutter Voice of Palestine radio’s Israel operations, question 5 journalists

Erik Crouch — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 19:25:38 +0000

New York, March 20, 2023 – Israeli authorities should immediately reverse their order to shut down the Israeli operations of the Voice of Palestine radio station and should cease harassing members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

On Monday, March 20, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ordered Voice of Palestine, the official broadcaster of the Palestinian Authority government, to be barred from operating within Israel, according to multiple news reports. After the order was issued, Israeli police officers arrived at the company’s offices in East Jerusalem and informed the staff about the ban, those reports said.

Later Monday, Israeli police summoned five Palestinian journalists based in East Jerusalem for questioning, according to news reports and journalists who spoke to CPJ.

“Israeli authorities must reverse their order to close the Voice of Palestine’s operations in Israel, which was issued without citing any specific problems with its coverage,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour. “Palestinian journalists should be able to do their jobs freely, without fear of being interrogated, harassed, or obstructed from doing their work.”

Ben-Gvir’s order bars Voice of Palestine from operating within Israel but does not stop the outlet from continuing its work in the West Bank or Gaza, according to those news reports. In his decree, Ben-Gvir did not specify any specific reason for blocking the station, but said “we will not allow incitement and support for terrorism and terrorists, neither by the Palestinian Authority nor by any other body.”

Later on Monday, Israeli police in East Jerusalem summoned Palestinian reporters Layali Eid and Lana Kamela, photographers Yazan Haddad and Walid Kamar, and camera operator Firas Handawi, according to news reports, social media posts, and Kamar, who spoke with CPJ via messaging app.

Amir Abbas, director of the Marcel production company, which works with the Voice of Palestine’s parent company the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation among other outlets, told CPJ by phone that the five journalists had contributed to various local outlets including those operated by the PBC.

Kamar told CPJ that police interrogated him about his work with the PBC. He and Abbas said that police gave all five journalists a verbal warning to cease collaborating with the PBC from Jerusalem, and then released them without filing any formal charges. Abbas said authorities also summoned him, interrogated him for hours, and gave him a similar warning.

Israeli authorities closed the PBC’s Jerusalem office in 2018, according to news reports.

CPJ emailed the Israel Defense Forces for comment, and a representative referred CPJ to the National Security Ministry. CPJ emailed the ministry for comment but did not receive any reply.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Erik Crouch.

Old video of Eid devotees praying in Russia viral as France

Nilofar Absar — Wed, 11 May 2022 15:41:26 +0000

A video is viral on social media claiming that it is from France. The Islamic call to prayer (adhan) can be heard in the background and hordes of people can be seen offering prayers on the streets, in a large area surrounding a mosque.

The video has been shared widely by users on Twitter with a claim that translates to, “There remains no space on the streets for ordinary French citizens to walk because 25 years ago, France was preaching “a liberal mindset” to its citizens. Now they are learning a lesson”.

25 साल पहले फ्रांस ‘लिबरल-मानवता’ का पाठ रट रहा था…अब उसे ‘सबक’ मिल रहा है..

आम फ्रांस के नागरिकों के पास चलने को रास्ता नहीं है.. Video pic.twitter.com/Q0Zyj4FGu4

— Kreately.in (@KreatelyMedia) May 8, 2022

25 साल पहले फ्रांस ‘लिबरल-मानवता’ का पाठ रट रहा था…अब उसे ‘सबक’ मिल रहा है..

आम फ्रांस के नागरिकों के पास चलने को रास्ता नहीं है. pic.twitter.com/dDsYxLDFqW

— Madan Singla (@msinglabjp) May 8, 2022

The video has been shared on Facebook as well.

Fact-check

We performed a reverse image search on Yandex using keyframes from the viral video. It yielded multiple results including a tweet dated July 17, 2015, where the same mosque with the gold and green minarets can be seen, surrounded by visually similar-looking structures when compared to the viral video. The tweet is linked to a report by a Russian news agency on Muslims celebrating Eid-al-Fitr in Moscow in 2015.

Мусульмане отмечают Ураза-байрамhttp://t.co/KDfERJJAUg pic.twitter.com/377jfGKVx4

— Первый канал (@channelone_rus) July 17, 2015

Here is a comparison of one of the keyframes from the viral video and the image linked to the news report where the same building behind the same mosque can be spotted.

Upon cropping out the image of the mosque and performing a reverse image search on Google, we were able to confirm that the mosque in the viral video is the Moscow Cathedral Mosque situated at Pereulok Vypolzov, 7, Moscow, Russia, 129090.

Further, we viewed the Moscow Cathedral mosque using Google street view and found the same building (circled in red above) behind the mosque.

Thus we were able to establish that the mosque in the viral video is situated in Russia and not France.

We also found many images and videos showing crowds offering Eid prayers in the area surrounding the mosque from different time periods that indicate it is a recurring event. This video report (below) dated June 5, 2019, also captures the same event. The brown building behind the mosque can also be spotted in this video at 0:08/0:54.

The post Old video of Eid devotees praying in Russia viral as France appeared first on Alt News.

This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Nilofar Absar.

No, ASI Dhannaram did not “fake” injuries sustained during violence on Eid in Jodhpur

Kinjal — Wed, 11 May 2022 08:16:34 +0000

Violence broke out in Jodhpur on the intervening night of May 2 and 3 after a group of BJP supporters forcibly removed Eid flags and loudspeakers. Following this, on the morning of Eid, members of the Muslim community sloganeered and pelted stones. A few police officers were also injured in the violence. Internet services were later suspended and a curfew was imposed in the area. 97 people have been arrested in this case so far.

Against this backdrop, a video of a policeman is making the rounds on social media. It has been claimed that the policeman, seen in the video tying a blood-stained handkerchief on his head, was pretending to be injured.

Facebook user Mufi Mohd. Zubair Qasmi also amplified the video and viral claim along with a newspaper clipping. (Archive link)

जोधपुर हिंसा मामले में अखबार में जिस पुलिसकर्मी का फोटो छपा है,,,
आइये उसकी हक़ीक़त से आपको रु-ब-रु करवाते है,,,,।

देखिये किस तरह से पुलिस और मीडिया नैरेटिव सेट करती है।

Posted by Mufti Mohd Zubair Qasmi on Thursday, May 5, 2022

Several Twitter users promoted the video and accompanying claim.

जिस पुलिस वाले के सर पर लगी उस को
गौर से देखना अखबार में फ़ोटो भी आया है..
और इस के आधार पर मुस्लिम लड़को को
जेल में बंद भी किया गया…

आगे वीडियो है उसको जरूर देखें…. pic.twitter.com/8o2hNo7FdD

— 𝔻𝔯𝔵.𝔸𝔪𝔪𝔞ℝ 𝕂𝔥𝔞𝔫 (@AK___Bhai) May 6, 2022

Using the Crowdtangle, Alt News discovered that the footage and accompanying claim were circulated on a number of Facebook pages and groups.

Click to view slideshow.

Fact-check

Rewatching the video frame by frame, we noticed the injury on the policeman’s forehead. Furthermore, blood was trickling down the back of his hand.

Click to view slideshow.

Jodhpur Police took to Twitter to condemn the viral claims on social media. As per the tweet, ASI Dhannaram suffered a head injury during the violence at Jalori Gate. An FIR was also lodged over the incident at the Sardarpura Police Station.

#Jodhpur
ASI श्री धन्नाराम की जालोरी गेट घटना में लगी चोट के संबंध में भ्रामक खबरों की सच्चाई…
घटना में लगी थी ASI के सिर में चोट जिससे हाथ और रुमाल पर लगा था खून…
घटना के बाद चोटिल ASI का कराया गया था मेडिकल व थाना सरदारपुरा मे दर्ज की गई F.I.R. …#AvoidFakeNews pic.twitter.com/LKtJxm0Xki

— Jodhpur Police (@CP_Jodhpur) May 6, 2022

Alt News contacted Sardarpura Police Station and was able to speak with ASI Dhannaram. He informed that he was on duty on the day of Eid and following the prayers, a group of miscreants began throwing stones during which he got injured. He used a handkerchief to wipe away the blood. He later tied the same handkerchief around his head. ASI Dhannaram also sent us a picture of the wound.

To sum it up, a video of ASI Dhannaram, a police officer injured in the Jodhpur violence, was circulated with a misleading claim that he was faking his injuries.

The post No, ASI Dhannaram did not “fake” injuries sustained during violence on Eid in Jodhpur appeared first on Alt News.

This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Kinjal.

Pro-Pakistan slogans were NOT raised in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar during Eid

Archit Mehta — Thu, 05 May 2022 15:33:45 +0000

A day after Eid al-Fitr was observed in India on May 2, several social media users uploaded a video that shows a group of young men chanting Islamic slogans, including “Mazhab-e-Islam”. It has been claimed that “pro-Pakistan” chants can also be heard in the video, shot in the Awar locality of Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district. The users demanded charges of sedition should be levelled against the people in the video.

आवर थाना पगारिया जिला झालावाड़ राजस्थान मे लगे पाकिस्तान जिंदाबाद के नारे पुलिस ज्लदी करे कार्यवाही ,,,ओर उन देश द्रोहियों पर देश द्रोह का मुकदमा दर्ज किया जाए @RajsthanPolice2 @aajtak @News18Rajasthan @ABPNews pic.twitter.com/DaJCEr01ph

— ssratod (@ssratod1) May 3, 2022

As of writing the article, several users have deleted their posts, including Twitter user @hritikvyas8 whose tweet gained the most traction. @hritikvyas8 had tagged Rajasthan police, Jhalawar police and multiple BJP members.

Several posts are still up on Twitter and Facebook.

Video verification

Multiple individuals can be heard leading the sloganeering and the man closest to the phone, recording the video, states at the start “Zindabad Zindabad, Mazhab-e-Islam”. Right after this, other people sloganeering further away from the phone can be heard saying “Allahu Akbar”. The person nearest to the phone the chants the following slogans:

6 seconds to 15 seconds – “Nara-e-Taqbeer, Allahu Akbar”
16 to 22 seconds – “Zindabad Zindabad, Mazhab-e-Islam Zindabad”
23 seconds to 30 seconds – “Dekho Humare Nabi Ki Shaan, Bacha Bacha Hai Qurbaan”

Responding to @hritikvyas8, Jhalawar police tweeted, “Talks are being held with the concerned people at the police station and the video is being investigated. Legal proceedings will take place on the basis of that.”

@JhalawarPolice कृपया मामले का संज्ञान लेकर आवश्यक कार्यवाही सुनिश्चित करें।

— Rajasthan Police HelpDesk (@RajPoliceHelp) May 3, 2022

On May 4, Alt News contacted the Jhalawar SP office and a cyber cell official. Neither could offer an update on the situation. During our research, we found a tweet by a law student named Imran Rangrej. He wrote, “Chants of Mazhab-e-Islam are being shared with the claim that they are pro-Pakistan chants…” He connected us with a local resident from Awar who has been following the incident.

@PoliceRajasthan @RajPoliceHelp @JhalawarPolice
मजहब ए इस्लाम जिंदाबाद के नारे को पाकिस्तान जिंदाबाद का नारा बताकर मनगढंत अफवाह फैलाई जा रही है, विडियो की गहनता से जाचं करें!

भ्रामक व गलत सुचना देने वाले के खिलाफ मुकदमा दर्ज कर कारवाई करें! https://t.co/sJJrkzDJuY

— Imran Rangrej (@imran_rangr) May 4, 2022

On the condition of anonymity, the resident told us, “To my surprise, the person who spread fake news was released by the police. However, two Muslim men who were identified in the video have been detained. We are hopeful they will be released soon.” As of May 5, they haven’t been released.

He shared a report by Patrika on the incident with the headline, ‘Video of anti-national slogan during Eid procession goes viral’. As per the report, the incident took place in the Awar-Pagaria area.

Patrika’s headline is misleading as the article states, “The viral video was sent to cyber cell for investigation. No anti-national sloganeering as confirmed.”

The report also includes a statement by Govind Singh Chauhan, the sarpanch of Guradiya village in Jhalawar. He said, “Some misunderstanding took place after the video went viral. After the police investigation, the matter was settled by the local people.”

Over a telephonic call, SHO Pagaria Ramprasad G, told Alt News, “In the video, no anti-national slogans can be heard. Since the situation got tensed, we detained two Muslim youths under Section 151 [Arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences] in The Code Of Criminal Procedure, 1973.”

To sum it up, yet another video of members of the Muslim community chanting Islamic slogans was shared with the false claim that they were raising pro-Pakistan chants.

The post Pro-Pakistan slogans were NOT raised in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar during Eid appeared first on Alt News.

This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Archit Mehta.

Ramadan … ‘you’re trying to be kinder, more compassionate … in your life’

APR editor — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 07:28:02 +0000

RNZ News

Ramadan is the most blessed month of the Islamic calendar. It began on the April 1 and will end sometime in the next day or two when the crescent moon is spotted in the night sky.

The month is observed by Muslims worldwide as a time of fasting, prayer, reflection and community.

To explain how she will be celebrating the end of Ramadan is Zainab Baba.

In addition to fasting through Ramadan, Baba and her family have also been caught up in the omicron wave.

“It’s been a bit eventful — my family has actually caught covid in the last week or so.”

Baba is “feeling OK” despite a little bit of a cough, she says.

The end of Ramadan is marked by the crescent moon appearing in the night sky signifying the end of the lunar cycle and the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast.

Don’t always know the exact day
“So we don’t always know the exact day of Eid, which is the kind of celebratory day in which the month is over, so it all depends on the moon sighting.”

What makes Ramadan so important for the world’s Muslims?

“Ramadan is basically one of the most holy months of the Islamic calendar. It’s obviously signified by the fasting that we do from sunrise to sunset every single day,” she says.

“You fast to show your self restraint, I guess. You’re showing that you can kind of overcome these low-level desires that you might have.

“So not only are you abstaining from food and drink, which obviously has many health benefits as most people who do intermittent fasting know, but also you’re committing to kind of staying away from things that maybe you know aren’t good for you.

“In a social way, you’re trying to be kinder, more compassionate in all kind of aspects of your life through the choice to commit to being the best version of yourself as possible.”

Commitment to higher values
It’s a commitment to higher values, she says.

“So you’re not only fasting from the physical kind of food and drink but also just from anything that is not good for you or for those around you.”

In their fasting, from sunrise to sunset those taking part in Ramadan won’t drink or eat anything at all.

“It’s a full fast. But after sunset obviously and before you start your fast at sunrise you can eat whatever you need to.”

Foods like oats in the morning or dates in the evening are often eaten, Baba says.

“This month’s all about community so even when you break your fast at the mosque or with community members usually you’ll see there’s very nice dishes prepared.”

Those who cannot fast for health reasons are encouraged to take part in other ways.

Replacing the fast
“That’s perfectly normal, so basically in Islam anyone who can’t fast for health reasons … instead of that, you can donate money or meals to the poor. You’re kind of replacing it with that.

“Things like charity and stuff are really encouraged. It’s meant to heighten your understanding of what people might be going through when they don’t have access to food and drink.”

Ramadan might end on Sunday or Monday, depending on the moon.

Baba is already looking forward to the meals.

“I’m from Kashmir, so my Kashmiri food is definitely at the top of my list.”

While New Zealand is still in orange alert levels and omicron is on the scene, this year’s Eid celebrations will be somewhat more open than the past few.

“Those of us who have had covid or are fully vaccinated are excited to be celebrating in Eid with the community especially after a couple of years of not being able to.

“I think this is going to be really fun for everyone to finally be celebrating together.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.