Social media posts claiming Dubai's Al Minhad district has been renamed to 'Hind City' as an acknowledgment of India and the contribution of Hindus to humanity, are false and misleading.
BOOM reached out to the Dubai government's media office which clarified in a statement that the renaming had nothing to do with any other country.
The misinformation was peddled by Megh Updates, a right-wing Twitter account. The misleading tweet has already received over 1.1 million views.
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Anil Bulani, a Member of Parliament from Uttarakhand and Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson claimed the renaming was a sign of India's growing clout on the world stage under the leadership of Modi.
Several mainstream Indian news outlets earlier this week reported that Shekih Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates (UAE), has renamed Al Minhad and its surrounding areas as “Hind City”, on January 29, 2023.
The city includes four zones—Hind 1, Hind 2, Hind 3, and Hind 4—and spans an area of 83.9 kilometres.
The news outlets, which reported the name change, include ANI, News18, News18Hindi, and India Today. While the news outlets did not delve into the meaning of the name 'Hind City'; it is important to note that Indian media usually do not report about the renaming of areas in other countries unless it is significant for readers back home.
FACT-CHECK
A search for an official announcement led us to Government of Dubai Media Office's website which has details of the renaming. The post appears to be a routine announcement has no mention of India or Hindus or Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Read the announcement here.
BOOM reached out to the Dubai government's media office which refuted the viral claim and said, "Hind is an Arabic name that has its roots in the region’s ancient civilisation. The renaming of an area in Dubai as Hind City does not reference any country."
We also looked through the social media accounts of Dubai's ruler. Shekih Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's official Twitter account had no tweet about the renaming, till the time of writing this fact-check.
Separately, Hind also happens to be an old Arabic first name. Hind bint Maktoum Al Maktoum is the senior wife of Shekih Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Gulf News, a Dubai-based, English daily, which reported the announcement made no mention of India either. Read Gulf News' story here.