Topic

Saudi Arabia

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False

Claim: A viral video on social media shows Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister fleeing after he was frightened by the firecrackers set off to welcome him at Riyadh’s Chinese Embassy.  Fact: The claim is false as the video is not from Riyadh. It is actually from 2019 and shows a mock military drill in Kuwait. On […]

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False

Claim: Pictures show Jennifer Lopez wearing a sacred sword during a performance at Riyadh Season 2024.   Fact: The pictures do not show Jennifer Lopez at Riyadh Season 2024. They show Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna performing at a concert in New York.   On 15 and 16 November 2024, a number of users on Facebook, Instagram, […]

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Misleading

Claim: Saudi Arabia banned Pakistani women and children from performing Hajj in 2025. Fact: Saudi Arabia issued specific guidelines for pilgrims heading for Hajj in 2025. People with advanced kidney or heart failure, chronic lung diseases, advanced liver cirrhosis, severe neurological and psychological conditions, and active infectious diseases, as well as cancer patients, elderly individuals […]

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False

Claim: A video shows the aftermath of an assassination attempt on Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.  Fact: The video is from 16 March 2024 when a car caught fire due to an accident on King Salman Road, Riyadh. On 7 May 2024, X (formerly Twitter) user SANTINO (@MichaelSCollura) posted a video claiming that […]

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Claim: Saudi Arabia and the UAE have told Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas to resign and dissolve the current government so that they can appoint a Saudi- and UAE-approved regime in its place; if Abbas does not agree, the two states would halt future financial aid to the Palestinian territories. Fact: Since no reputable outlet has […]

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Claim: Saudi Arabia has ended all negotiations on potentially normalising ties with Israel following the recent escalation between Israel and Hamas. Fact: The Kingdom has suspended talks, as per media reports. The Saudi Arabian government has not given any official statement on the matter. What’s happening in Gaza? On 7 October 2023, the Al Qassam […]

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Claim: A picture shows the dead bodies of 13 people who died during the 2023 Hajj. Fact: The image dates back to at least 2017. On 10 July 2023, Facebook user ‘Ahmad Raza’ posted (archive) an image of multiple dead bodies, lined up in white cloth, inside what appears to be the Kaaba, or the […]

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Claim: An image of Nawaz Sharif and King Muhammed Bin Salman is from Sharif’s Ramzan visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Fact: The image is from 2017, when Nawaz Sharif visited King Salman as the prime minister of Pakistan. On 21 April 2023, the Instagram account (@pakobserver) shared an image of King Salman of […]

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Claim: Journalist Waqas (@worqas) has claimed in a Twitter thread that 4 million Burmese people living in Saudi Arabia will be given Pakistani passports. Fact: The claim is false. The passport agreement signed on the sidelines of the Road to Makkah Program aimed at simplifying immigration procedures for Pakistani pilgrims. It did not involve any […]

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Claim: A viral WhatsApp message claims that Michael Jackson’s unreleased last song was about Hajj and that Saudi Arabia bought the rights from the US. Fact: Michael Jackson did not record this song, but Pakistani-Canadian singer Irfan Makki. It was uploaded on YouTube in 2012. The other claim that it was bought by Saudi Arabia […]

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Claim: A picture depicts the April 2023 meeting between Nawaz Sharif and Muhammed bin Salman as the former visited Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah. Fact: Soch Fact Check found the image is from 2016 when the Saudi crown prince visited Pakistan and met Nawaz Sharif. The pictures and videos, although real, have been taken out […]

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Claim: A screengrab of a television show suggests that the authorities in Saudi Arabia and Prince Mohammed Bin Salman have turned down former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s request for a meeting during his recent visit to the kingdom.  Fact: The screengrab is doctored. Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted on 21 April 2023 that the Pakistan […]

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