In the age of social media, misinformation, and impersonation have become ever-present challenges. On October 14, 2023, following India’s resounding victory over Pakistan in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, a post by a parody account impersonating Indian cricketer Mohammed Siraj circulated on various social media platforms. This post falsely claimed that the cricketer dedicated India’s win to Israel.
The post came from a Twitter parody account named ‘Mohammad Siraj’ (@iamMohdSiiraj), which impersonated the real Mohammed Siraj. The tweet sarcastically referred to Pakistani batsman Muhammad Rizwan, who had dedicated his century against Sri Lanka to the people of Gaza. It falsely claimed that India’s victory was dedicated to “our brothers and sisters in Israel.”
Upon closer examination, it became evident that the account behind the misleading post was a parody handle. The bio of the account clearly stated its status as a parody. Additionally, the handle misspelled Mohammed Siraj’s first name as ‘Mohammad’ instead of ‘Mohammed.’
To debunk the false claims, it’s important to reference Mohammed Siraj’s official Twitter account, ‘@mdsirajofficial.’ Following India’s victory over Pakistan on October 14, 2023, Siraj had indeed posted on his real account. His post read, “3 W We continue the work.” This caption referred to India’s successful journey in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, with victories against Australia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Allahmdulliah ! This was for our brothers and sisters in Israel . 🤲🏼🇮🇳#INDvsPAK pic.twitter.com/A1gud4HiI1
— Mohammad Siraj (@iamMohdSiirajj) October 14, 2023
Contrary to the misleading post, Mohammed Siraj did not make any statements about the Israel-Hamas conflict, nor did he dedicate India’s win to the “people of Israel.” The viral post was purely the creation of a parody account and should not be considered an authentic representation of the cricketer’s views or sentiments.
3 W ✅ We continue the work 🇮🇳💪 pic.twitter.com/2eqcIiLZEd
— Mohammed Siraj (@mdsirajofficial) October 14, 2023
