No, the woman who created a ruckus during Eid prayer at a mosque in Virginia is not a Hindu but a Muslim.
Claim
“A Hindu woman in Virginia, USA entered masjid during Eid prayer, got on the mimbar, created a ruckus & spew lslamophobic slurs. She was later arrested. Modi & BJP hv been poisoning Indian minds beyond borders. The RSS poison has spread far & wide. It is now threatening social cohesion in western countries. Respect to the Muslims for their patience & not giving her a reaction or she would’ve played the victim card.”
Rating
Explanation
A 0:42-second video purportedly showing a woman arrested for creating a ruckus at a mosque is shared to claim that a Hindu woman in USA’s Virginia entered a masjid during Eid prayer, got on the mimbar, created a ruckus & spew islamophobic slurs and was later arrested. The posts further mentioned “Modi & BJP have been poisoning Indian minds beyond borders. The RSS poison has spread far & wide. It is now threatening social cohesion in western countries. Respect to the Muslims for their patience & not giving her a reaction or she would’ve played the victim card”.
Some of the posts with such a claim can be seen here and here. This video is shared with the same claim by multiple social media handles from Middle East countries.
अमेरिका: वर्जीनिया में ईद की नमाज के दौरान एक हिंदू महिला ने मस्जिद में घुसकर जमकर हंगामा किया तथा इस्लामोफोबिक बातें की, पुलिस ने काफ़ी मशक्कत के बाद किया गिरफ्तार.#BreakingNews #Eid2023 #America pic.twitter.com/pfPLqnL5pq
— Journo Mirror (@JournoMirror) April 22, 2023
What is the truth?
When searching with relevant keywords we found that the woman who created a ruckus at a mosque in Virginia and got arrested later is a Muslim and not a Hindu as claimed.
The Facebook page of ‘All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS)’ posted a statement related to the viral video. The statement card reads “We want to clarify that the recent incident at the mosque on Friday, April 21st, during the ADAMS Sterling, Virginia, Eid prayer involved an individual from the Muslim community struggling with mental health issues.
ADAMS leadership and social services have met and are working with the family to provide additional resources and help. The family sincerely asks for forgiveness for the incident in the morning during Eid prayers. The family has requested that those who posted the video to please remove it from social media to protect the family’s privacy since the video is causing additional stress to the family.”
The card further asked to read the post for the full statement. The same post is also found on its Instagram account. The post further mentions that “Mental health challenges can affect individuals from all walks of life, and it is important to approach such situations with empathy and understanding. We recognize that this was an isolated incident.
As a community, we are committed to promoting inclusivity, tolerance, and understanding amongst all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstances. We encourage everyone to refrain from making assumptions or generalizations based on this incident, and to remember that mental health issues are complex and require proper care and attention.
We appreciate the ongoing support of our community during this time, and we will continue to work towards creating a safe and respectful environment for all members of our mosque.” This proves that the woman is not from the Hindu community but is a Muslim and that she is struggling with mental health issues. In addition to it, the viral video and ADAMS interiors seem to be the same.
The Facebook account of ADAMS replied to one of the comment in the statement post that the woman was a member of the Muslim community struggling with mental health challenges.
Conclusion
It is found that the woman who was arrested in Virginia, USA for creating a ruckus at a mosque during Eid prayer is a Muslim and not a Hindu extremist as claimed. The incident is indeed true except that the woman is a Muslim and not Hindu. It is to be noted that she is struggling with mental health issues.
