Photo of a Protest in Pakistan Falsely Shared as Indian Muslims Burning Indian National Flag…

An image of some protestors burning the Indian National Flag is being shared on social media claiming that these are Indian Muslims protesting against Nupur Sharma’s controversial statement on Prophet Muhammad.

However, the image is not from India. We found that the image is from a protest organized in Lahore, Pakistan. 

Viral Image on Social Media

Archived Tweet

The tweet given above contains an image showing some protestors burning the Indian National Flag. The caption of the tweet suggests that these are Indian Muslims protesting against former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s controversial statement against Prophet Muhammad. 

Some Context on the Controversy around Nupur Sharma

Nupur Sharma had made a controversial statement about Prophet Muhammad during a television debate last month. The video of this debate went viral on social media and soon caused worldwide outrage. Many Islamic nations including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Iran among others condemned Nupur Sharma’s statement. Following which, BJP suspended Nupur Sharma from the party. 

However, Indian Muslims across the country have took to streets and demand action against Nupur Sharma. This also led to incidents of violence in various parts of the country. The image shared in the tweet is in this context.

Fact Check

We searched this image on Google using reverse image search and found that the image is not from India. Islamist organizations in Pakistan had called for a protest against Nupur Sharma’s controversial statement on Prophet Muhammad on June 9 in Lahore. The viral image was taken during this protest rally.

Read full article here – ABC | Archived Link

We found a news article published by ABC news that contains the viral image. The caption given along with the image is as follows: Supporters of religious groups burn a representation of Indian flag during a demonstration to condemn derogatory references to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad recently made by Nupur Sharma, a spokesperson of the governing Indian Hindu nationalist party, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, June 9, 2022. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

The news and photo has been attributed to the Associated Press. The report states that, ‘Thousands of Islamists rallied Thursday and briefly scuffled with police in Pakistan’s capital, urging Muslim countries to cut diplomatic ties with New Delhi over remarks by two officials from India’s ruling party that were derogatory to the Prophet Muhammad.’

If we observe the image closely, we can also see the name of one of the Islamist organizations of Pakistan, Majlis Ulama e Nizamia Pakistan. 

The image was also published on the stock website Alamy. The description of the image given on the website is as follows: “Lahore, Pakistan. 09th June, 2022. Activists of Majlis Ulma-e-Nizamia Pakistan shouting slogans during a demonstration against former India’s Bharatiya Janata Party spokeswoman Nupur Sharma over her blasphemous remarks for Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in Lahore. (Photo by Rana Sajid Hussain/Pacific Press) Credit: Pacific Press Media Production Corp./Alamy Live News”

View the image here – Alamy

We found another image of the same event posted by another stock image website Imago Images. The image description of this image also states clearly that the image is from June 9 protest in Lahore, Pakistan.

View the image here – Imago Images

Conclusion

The viral image of a group of protestors burning the Indian National Flag claimed to be Indian Muslims is actually from Pakistan. Our investigation shows that the image is of a Pakistani Islamist group, Majlis Ulma-e-Nizamia Pakistan burning the Indian National Flag during a protest organized in Lahore on June 9 2022.