Fact Check: Netizens goof up, share wrong photo of Sukmawati Sukarnoputri who converted to Hinduism
Sukmawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesia’s first president Sukarno, converted from Islam to Hinduism on 26 October.
By Misha Rajani Published on 29 Oct 2021 1:29 PM GMT
Hyderabad: Sukmawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesia's first president Sukarno, converted from Islam to Hinduism on 26 October. This move is being considered unorthodox in a Muslim-majority country.
The news has been reported by several news outlets and shared on social media, too. However, social media users are using the wrong photo of Sukmawati Sukarnoputri. Netizens are sharing a picture of a woman dressed in white claiming that she is Sukarnoputri.
Fact Check
The woman in the viral post is not Sukmawati Sukarnoputri.
NewsMeter searched for reports on Sukarnoputri's conversion and found photos and videos of the event in reports by Republic World, Hindustan Times, and India Today. Here, it can clearly be seen that the woman in the viral post is not Sukmawati Sukarnoputri. A visual comparison of the woman in the viral post and of Sukarnoputri makes it clear that they are two different individuals.
Watch the videos here and here.
A reverse image search of the viral picture led us to photos of the Princess of Java. The viral photos were published in reports and articles from 2107 and 2018 identifying her as the Princess of Java who converted to Hinduism. She adopted "Sanatan Dharma" as her religion and went through a Sudhi Wadani Ritual, a ritual that can be described as an initiation into Hinduism on 17 July 2017.
Clearly, the woman in the viral post is not Sukmawati Sukarnoputri. Hence, the claim is false.
