FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show Danish Siddiqui’s Funeral?

Brad Sylvester | Fact Check Editor

An image shared on Facebook allegedly shows the funeral of Reuters photojournalist Danish Siddiqui.

Verdict: False

The photo actually shows a 2019 religious celebration in Bangladesh.

Fact Check:

Siddiqui, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, was killed in Afghanistan on July 16 while covering the Afghan military’s attempt to oust the Taliban from the strategic Spin Boldak crossing on the border between southern Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to the Associated Press. His funeral was held on July 18 in New Delhi, India, according to The Indian Express.

The Facebook post claims to show a photo from Siddiqui’s funeral in which thousands of people can be seen gathering around a decorated green-and-white truck as it drives down a street. “Danish siddique funeral….Ssshhhh secularism,” reads the post’s caption. (RELATED: Did The Taliban Shoot Down 2 US Aircraft And Kill 34 Soldiers In Afghanistan?)

The picture, however, does not depict part of Siddiqui’s funeral. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found a photo shared on Flickr in November 2019 that closely resembles the one in the Facebook post. In the title of the Flickr album in which the similar photo appears, the scene is identified as a procession in Chattogram, Bangladesh, during the Islamic holiday Eid-e-Milad-ul-Nabi.

The holiday, which marks the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad, was celebrated on Nov. 10 that year, according to the Dhaka Tribune. Footage of the 2019 celebration in Chattogram, Bangladesh, that was shared on YouTube confirms the Facebook image comes from the same event. Several landmarks in the photo match those visible in the videos.

Genuine photos of Siddiqui’s funeral, which appears to have occurred at night, can be found on Getty Images.

Brad Sylvester

Fact Check Editor
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