CLAIM
A set of viral images on social media claim that the Modi Masjid located in Tasker Town in Shivaji Nagar area of Bengaluru, Karnataka, has been newly inaugurated and named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Several social media users have shared the images on Facebook and Twitter with a similar claim.
The Quint received a query about the claim made in the images via its WhatsApp helpline.
TRUE OR FALSE?
The claim around the images is false. The mosque has not been named after Narendra Modi. Named after Modi Abdul Gafoor, the mosque had been in existence for over 125 years until it was demolished and reconstructed four years back.
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
The Secretary of Karnataka State Board of Wakfs confirmed to The Quint that the Modi Masjid in Bengaluru has not been named after PM Modi.
“The Modi Masjid in Bengaluru is over 125 years old. It was the property of Modi Abdul Gafoor and was named after his name. We had demolished the old mosque and reconstructed it four years ago. The inauguration was done last month. It has been gazette notified, that means it is under the Karnataka government and is being managed by the State Wakf Board. Currently, we are the custodians of the mosque. The claim that the mosque has been named after Narendra Modi is completely false.”Secretary, Karnataka State Board of Wakfs
A closer look at the second image which shows the interiors of a mosque, has a banner of PM Modi.
We did a search on Google using the keywords ‘Modi,’ and ‘Masjid’ that led us to an articled published by Scroll which has the same image as that of the banner.
Scroll’s article mentioned that the image was from Narendra Modi’s Indore visit in September 2018. He had reportedly gone to Indore to attend an Ashara Mubaraka event at the Saifee mosque.
While the inset image has been traced to Scroll, there’s no conclusive evidence on which mosque has been photographed in the second image. However, it’s not of the Modi mosque in Bengaluru.
Ashara Mubaraka is an event that is held at the starting of the Islamic year for a period of ten days. These ten days are dedicated to honour the death anniversary of Prophet Mohammed and his grandson Imam Husain, news agency IANS reported.
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