Videos circulating on social media show individuals being harassed on the streets and in public, with claims that radical groups associated with the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami are targeting girls at Cox’s Bazar beach for not wearing burqas or hijabs. However, the individuals being targeted are transgender people and sex workers. In Bangladesh, there is an ongoing campaign to remove transgender individuals and floating sex workers from public spaces, which is unrelated to Sharia law or the enforcement of the burqa.
The videos circulated with misleading claims
Several users, influencers and propagandists have disseminated videos of some people harassing floating sex workers and transgender individuals in public.
Sharing the videos on X (Formerly Twitter) propagandist account Megh Updates wrote, Sharia Rule in Bangladesh!! Multiple videos viral on social media claiming radical groups including the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami cadres targeting girls at Cox’s Bazar beach for wearing normal clothes instead of burqa or hijab. Next Afghanistan?
Another propaganda account @RealBababanaras has also disseminated the video and wrote, The Islamists in Bangladesh aren’t just persecuting Hindus, they’re persecuting everyone who isn’t an Islamist. Last night, a Marma girl (indigenous Buddhist people closely related to Myanmar) was abused for daring to go to Cox’s Bazar beach without a veil.
Serial fake news peddler and propagandist account @ajaychauhan41 also disseminated the visuals and wrote. Taliban rule has been imposed in Bangladesh. This is Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh where a girl is beaten, abused and humiliated in public by Jihadi Jamaats for not wearing Hijab. The world should boycott Bangladesh. (Translated from Hindi)
Self-proclaimed OSINT and fake news peddler @FrontalForce also shared the video and wrote, Sharia rule in Bangladesh. Women forced to put on hijab at public places by Islamist radicals.
Several other users, influencers and propagandists have also shared the videos and made similar claims. Their posts can be seen here. @MithilaWaala, @pakistan_untold, @Im_Z_4747, @Incognito_qfs, @nilaymallikk, @CJBdingo25, @FreedomRightsRL, @FarazPervaiz3, @PakistaniSharma, @sanjeevsanyal , @visegrad24
The truth about the viral videos from Bangladesh, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the videos and claims came to our notice. Subsequently, we conducted research and analysis of the video and found that these individuals being harassed are not common women. But these are transgender individuals and floating sex workers. Also, they were not targeted for not wearing Burqa or hijab.
To verify the claims made by the users. We performed a relevant keyword search on Google. This led us to several media reports containing the same visuals. According to the media reports (1, 2), In Cox’s Bazar, a youth named Farooqul Islam was taken into DB custody in connection with the incident of harassing a third-gender person and beating up some others. Last Wednesday, women and transgenders were harassed in the Sugandha Point area from C-Gal of Cox’s Bazar beach.
Cox’s Bazar Tourist Police Assistant Superintendent of Police Abul Kalam said that on Wednesday a group of 50-60 students requested some suspicious women and transgenders to leave the beach. Most went but a few refused to go. Later one of them was harassed.
Additionally, Complaints were received that the hijras were used to extort money from the tourists by harassing and cheating them in various ways. However, the victims did not file any complaints in this incident.
Moreover, according to a previous report, such incidents have been occurring since August 27, 2024. The police have intervened & arrested those involved in the harassment.
Therefore, it is evident from verified sources that these individuals are not being harassed for not wearing Burqa. But they are transgenders and floating sex workers.
Intent
Social media users, influencers and propagandists are circulating videos from Bangladesh with misleading claims to set their narrative.
Conclusion
Claim– Bangladeshi extremists are targeting women for not wearing Burqa or hijab in public.
Fact– The video shows students targeting transgender individuals and floating sex workers during a campaign to remove them from public areas
Related Article: Fact Check: Man thrashed female sex workers in Bangladesh, video circulated with communal claims – D-Intent Data (dintentdata.com)
