Turkish media paints Hindus as superstitious, foolish and violent using fake news
Turkey 
8 September, 2024
Case Summary
On September 9, Türkiye-based RTE Urdu spread misleading information, falsely accusing Hindus in India of attacking solar panels under the influence of a Hindu priest. In a post shared on the platform X (formerly Twitter), the news outlet claimed the priest said using solar energy would anger the sun god. This post, along with a video of people destroying solar panels, garnered over 34,000 impressions, 380 reposts, and 900 likes. However, investigations revealed that the video was from 2018 and had no connection to any Hindu priest or religious beliefs. The solar panels were actually destroyed by workers protesting over unpaid wages at a solar park. The original video was first shared by the YouTube channel Climate Samurai, which clarified the incident’s real cause — wage disputes, not religious reasons. This misleading video resurfaced multiple times, including in June 2023 when some Pakistani social media accounts also spread similar false claims. Earlier, an Aam Aadmi Party Facebook group incorrectly linked the destruction to BJP workers, falsely claiming BJP leader Ashok Saxena was involved. Thus, the narrative shared by RTE Urdu and others was a fabrication intended to malign Hindus and India.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category Hate speech against Hindus. Under this, the sub-category selected is 'anti-Hindu subversion and prejudice' and within this, the tertiary category selected is- 'Anti-Hindu Fake News or Downplaying. Hate speech is defined as any speech, gesture, conduct, writing, or display that is prejudicial against a specific individual and/or group of people, which is leading to or may lead to violence, prejudicial action or hate against that individual and/or group. Media plays a specific and overarching reach in perpetuating prejudicial attitudes towards a community owing to unfair, untrue coverage and/or misrepresentation/misinterpretation, selective coverage and/or omission of facts of/pertaining to issues affecting a specific religious group. This type of bias can dehumanise the victim group, making it easier for others to justify harmful actions against them, which aligns with the objectives of hate speech laws aimed at preventing such harm. It is often observed that the media takes a prejudicial stand against the Hindu community driven by their need to shield the aggressor community which happens to be a numeric minority, however, is the one perpetrating violence against Hindus. For example, the media is often quick to contextualise religiously motivated crimes against Hindus, omit or misrepresent facts that point towards religiously motivated hate crimes, justify and/or downplay religiously motivated hate crimes or simply present fake news to stereotype Hindus. Such media bias leads to the denial of persecution and is often used to dehumanise Hindus, leading to justification for violence against them. For example, the media covered several fake allegations of Hindus targeting Muslims and forcing them to chant Jai Shree Ram. Most of these cases were proved false and fabricated after police investigation. These fake news reports were subsequently never retracted or clarified. Such fake news led to the justification of violence and dehumanisation of Hindus based on the argument that since Hindus targeted Muslims and forced them to chant Jai Shree Ram, the dehumanisation of Hindus and violence against them was par for the course and merely a retaliation. Such media bias leads to prejudicial portrayal of Hindus and offers a justification for violence against them and therefore, is considered hate speech under this category. This case has been classified as a hate crime against Hindus due to the deliberate spread of anti-Hindu fake news by RTE Urdu and other platforms. The false narrative, claiming that Hindus in India destroyed solar panels based on a Hindu priest’s instructions, is a clear example of media manipulation intended to malign the Hindu community. By fabricating a story that linked an action—destroying solar panels—to Hindu religious beliefs, this misinformation not only misrepresented the truth but also perpetuated harmful stereotypes about Hindus being backward or opposed to progress. The fact that the video was from 2018 and had nothing to do with religious motives, but rather was related to wage disputes among workers, shows the intentional distortion of facts for the purpose of inciting hostility. By linking such a baseless act to Hinduism, these false reports sought to create a narrative of Hindu intolerance and irrationality, fueling hatred for the Hindus and their religion. Such narratives are not mere misinformation; they are deliberately crafted to reinforce stereotypes and feed prejudices against Hindus. With this fake news, the Turkish media attempting to paint Hindus as superstitious, foolish and violent. Since this case exemplifies a systematic attempt to malign Hindus through misleading narratives, reflecting an underlying bias against them, it has been added to the tracker.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
