Fact-Check: Viral message falsely accuses 'Islamic Afghans' of killing 229 Christian Missionaries
In a false claim that has garnered significant attention across social media platforms including WhatsApp, it is being alleged that the ‘Islamic Afghans’ have executed 229 Christian Missionaries and have taken over Qargosh, the largest Christian city in Iraq.
The text claims that the incident occurred in Qargosh, the largest Christian city in Iraq. However, a thorough fact-check conducted by Vartha Bharati has revealed that this claim is entirely false.
The identical text message, with varying numbers of missionaries, has been circulating online since 2009. Initially, the message suggested that the Islamic Afghans had sentenced 229 Christian missionaries to death, a claim that resurfaced multiple times over the years. After the recent Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the same message gained traction once again, this time with a new twist - asserting that the 229 missionaries had already been executed.
Earlier, the message was being largely shared stating that the Islamic Afghans have sentenced 229 Christian Missionaries to death “tomorrow”. The message is doing rounds since 2009. The same message was once again widely shared after the Taliban took over Afghanistan.
The message, urging urgent prayers for the alleged victims, also falsely stated that the information was confirmed through news sources. It further requested recipients to forward the message for wider prayer participation. The message mentions an individual named Judith Carmona, described as a Chihuahua missionary in Africa, as the source of this information.
The message calls for urgent prayers and states “Today, unfortunately, they have confirmed this terrible news at this time. You can confirm this in the news. How sad!! Please pray for the 229th Christian missionaries, who were executed yesterday afternoon by Islamic Afghans. Please spread this message as soon as possible so that as many people can pray. This message was sent by JUDITH CARMONA, a Chihuahua missionary in Africa. The whole earth was united in prayer. If you can forward it, please let us join in the urgent prayer, also because the radical Islamic group has taken over Qargosh, the largest Christian city in Iraq. Where there are hundreds. Christian men, women and children being beheaded. Prayer cover is requested. Please take a minute and pray for them. Convey the message to whoever you can. They have taken Qaraghosh many times before. They have asked us to pray, please pass it on to others,” it adds.
Despite the emotional urgency of the message and the disturbing video accompanying it, our fact-check has conclusively proven that the claim is baseless. No official records or credible sources have verified any mass execution of missionaries by 'Islamic Afghans' or any other group. The origin of the video remains unclear, adding to the misinformation surrounding the incident.
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Lok Sabha passed 12 bills, Rajya Sabha 14 in Monsoon session amid Opposition protests
New Delhi (PTI): Twelve bills were passed by the Lok Sabha and 14 by the Rajya Sabha during the month-long Monsoon session of Parliament, which has witnessed repeated disruptions, adjournments and walkouts.
Barring discussions on Operation Sindoor in both House, the session has seen little business ever since it began on July 21 due to repeated disruptions and adjournments initially due to opposition demand for discussion on Operation Sindoor and then over demands for a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision exercise in Bihar.
The Monsoon session is scheduled to end on Thursday.
The bills passed by the Lok Sabha are The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2025, The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025, The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Manipur Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2025, The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, and The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
Other bills passed by the Lok Sabha are The Income-tax Bill, 2025, The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Indian Ports Bill, 2025, The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025, The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025.
The bills passed or returned by the Rajya Sabha are The Bills of Lading Bill, 2025, The Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2025, The Coastal Shipping Bill, 2025, The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Manipur Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2025, The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025 and The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2025
Other bills passed by the Rajya Sabha are The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Income-tax Bill, 2025, The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Indian Ports Bill, 2025, The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025 and The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025
"This time in Parliament, there was so much ruckus and opposition didn't cooperate. Due to this obstinate behaviour, opposition missed participating in discussions on several important bills which were passed," a government functionary said.
In the Rajya Sabha, except for The Bills of Lading Bill, 2025, which was passed without any disruption on the first day of the Monsoon session, the other bills were passed after some discussion amid din or only after the Opposition parties staged a walk out, the functionary said.
