A screenshot of an article claiming Rana Ayyub said actor Will Smith slapping stand-up comic Chris Rock at the Oscars is an act of 'Hindutva terror', is false and was created by a satire website.
The headline of the article published on website The Fauxy reads 'Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock is an Example of How Hinduism Makes One Violent | Writes Rana Ayyub'.
Several social media users have shared the screenshot of the article with captions slamming the journalist.
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On March 29, Smith slapped Rock on the Oscars stage while he was presenting the 94th Academy Awards ceremony. Moments before bagging the award for best actor for his role in King Richard, Smith marched on to the stage and slapped Rock after the stand-up comic made a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith being bald. Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia - a hair loss condition.
Smith later issued an apology to Rock, to the Academy and to viewers saying 'Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable'.
The viral posts, screenshot of The Fauxy's satire article is being shared in this backdrop with captions suggesting that social media users are believing it to be true. The screenshot has a collage of two images - one showing Will Smith with folded hands and the other of journalist and opinion columnist at The Washington Post Rana Ayyub.
BOOM has on earlier occasions debunked misinformation being peddled based on satire articles published in The Fauxy. Read here.
A Facebook post sharing the screenshot captioned it '#nowords #illogical'.
Several other Facebook pages shared the screenshot with similar captions.
Click here, here, here and here to view posts.
Several Twitter users have also shared the screenshot and the headline of the article while taking potshots at Ayyub.
Fact Check
The Fauxy is an 'entertainment media' company. A disclaimer in the About Us section of the website reads 'The Fauxy is an entertainment portal. The content of this website is purely for entertainment purpose and readers are advised not to confuse the articles of The Fauxy as genuine and true'.
The headline of the article published on The Fauxy on March 28 reads 'Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock is an Example of How Hinduism Makes One Violent | Writes Rana Ayyub'.
The report goes on to say that citing old pictures of Will Smith where he can be seen following Hindu rituals, 'Ppinion columnist with The Washington Post, Rana Ayyub has called Will Smith slapping Chris Rock an act of Hindutva Terror, Hindu Violence and Hindu Extremism (Sic)'.
The featured image with the article uses two images - one of Will Smith sitting with folded hands and the other of Rana Ayyub.
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The picture of Smith sitting with folded hands was found posted on his official Instagram account on April 7, 2019 with a caption reading 'My Grandmother used to say, "God Teaches through Experience". Traveling to India & Experiencing the colors, people and natural beauty has awakened a new understanding of myself, my Art & the Truths of the world'.
The post suggests that the picture was clicked in Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
A report published in DNA on April 7, 2019 shared the images of the Oscar-winning actor stating that he had landed in Haridwar in Uttarakhand during his India tour. A Hindustan Times report stated that the actor had attended the Ganga aarti in Haridwar.
The actor has spoken in the past about reading the Bhagwat Gita. A 2017 report of Business Standard states that "for Hollywood superstar Will Smith, reading the holy book while in India is like channelling his "inner Arjuna"."
The image of Rana Ayyub in the screenshot has been taken from her official Twitter handle.
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BOOM also found Rana Ayyub's tweet sharing the screenshot of The Fauxy article with a caption 'Another virtual lynch mob after this fake news masquerading as satire goes viral'.