A video of several people in saffron-colored clothing near the Holy Kaaba in the Muslim holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, is going popular on social media.
When uploading the footage on social media, many assert that the worshippers wearing saffron are Indian Hindus praying inside the Makkah Grand Mosque, which is home to the Kaaba.
But according to Vishwas News' fact-check investigation, the widely shared video clip has nothing to do with India.
Conversely, the worshippers in the video, with the Kaaba in the background, are pilgrims from Indonesia who came to Makkah to do Umrah.
Sharing the viral video clip, Facebook user who identifies himself as 'Kattar Hindu Tirathu' (archived here) and has over 34,000 subscribers wrote:
"Har Har Mahadev slogan in Madina."
This viral video had previously gone viral during the inauguration of the Ram temple with another claim.
At that time, Vishwas News also checked it, and while searching for keyword frames through reverse image, found the video uploaded on several YouTube channels in January 2024.
Vishwas News investigated further and found a video uploaded in 2023 on a YouTube channel called “El Leyla Official” where the women were seen dressed in similar attire to the women seen in the viral video claiming to be of Hindus.
The video was accompanied by information that it was a video of the “Jamaat al-Nimra Group” or “An Namiroh Travelindo” visiting Medina in November 2022.
A keyword search revealed that “An Namiroh Travelindo” is an Indonesian travel agency that organizes Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.
There are other similar videos available on this channel, in which devotees are seen wearing similar saffron colour dresses.
In addition, promotional images available on the website of An Namiroh Travelindo also show a woman wearing the saffron color dress as seen in the viral video.
Vishwas News also contacted Adi Syafitrah, a fact-checker at Indonesian fact-checking organization Mafindo, regarding the viral video clip. He confirmed:
“The worshippers seen in the video had travelled from Indonesia to Medina and later Makkah to perform Umrah.”
Vishwas News in its investigation found that video clips of Muslim pilgrims from Indonesia in Makkah to perform Umrah/Hajj are being circulated by a Hindutva group with false claims.
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