Misinformation about religion has been spread a lot.
Communal conflict and religious hate speech have increased since August last year. This reached a new level in November. A significant part of the misinformation spread in the past year was the claim of minority persecution and the rise of Islamic extremism in Bangladesh. These claims were accompanied by old and irrelevant images and videos. This was stated in a report by DismissLab, a fact-checking initiative of the research organization Digitally Right.
The organization recently published this report titled ‘Trends and Narratives of Misinformation Spread in Bangladesh in 2024’. They say that since August, religious disinformation has gradually become hateful and has increased division. Experts say that disinformation has now become commercial. Money is being invested in spreading disinformation, various organizations are being hired. Even politicians are using disinformation as a weapon against their opponents. Researchers are emphasizing fact-checking to prevent disinformation.
DismissLab’s research chief Minhaj Aman told our time yesterday that as the dissemination and dissemination of information has increased online, readers must practice critical thinking. Before accepting and sharing any information, especially during times of political or religious tension, one must be sure. There are now more than five fact-checking organizations in Bangladesh, and the authenticity can be confirmed by contacting them.
Analyzing fact-checking reports on religious issues published from January to November, DismissLab’s report said that religious misinformation has spread more in the months following the formation of the interim government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus. The persecution of minorities and the arrest and trial of Chinmoy Krishna Das, the spokesperson of the ‘Sammilit Sanatani Jagran Jote’ of Hindu followers, played the biggest role in this.
The report says that a large part of religious misinformation last year claimed that attacks and persecution on minorities in Bangladesh have increased, or that Islamic extremism has emerged. Somewhere, attacks on Hindus have been claimed with old or irrelevant pictures and videos, while elsewhere, scenes of attacks on the homes and businesses of Muslim individuals or Awami League leaders and activists have been presented as attacks on the Hindu community. Somewhere, it has been said that the coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement has given an ultimatum to Hindus to leave the country, called for genocide, or threatened to slaughter Hindus by marching in Bangladesh with Palestinian flags.
Misinformation has increased by 58 percent in a year: In 2024, fact-checkers working on Bangladesh verified 58 percent more false information than in 2023. According to the organization’s fact-checking database, eight fact-checking organizations working on Bangladesh verified more than 4,500 false information in 2024.
The most false information is about Dr. Yunus, Sheikh Hasina and Shakib: DismissLab’s report says that one-third (33 percent) of the total false information spread last year was political. This is followed by 13 percent false information on religious matters and 8 percent on sports. The reasons for this are the national parliamentary elections, the anti-discrimination movement and the fall of the Awami League government and ultimately religious conflict. The most discussed subjects of misinformation were the interim government’s chief advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and cricketer Shakib Al Hasan. The most misinformation among the institutions was about the Awami League, the military, the police and the BNP.
India’s name came up the most: India’s name came up the most in the title of the fact-checking report published in 2024. Especially after August 5, various Indian media outlets and social media in that country spread false and exaggerated information about attacks on minorities and communal tensions in Bangladesh. After this, there was also misinformation about Palestine, Iran, the United States and Pakistan.
Sports were not left out: The report says that in February, March and June last year, political and religious topics were comparatively less in the spread of misinformation. At that time, misinformation about cricket and cricket stars was spread. Especially, pictures and statements of star cricketers were also used to promote gambling involving IPL-BPL. With the T20 Cricket World Cup taking place in June, misinformation about the game has increased.
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