Viral video shows Bangladeshi actress, not an American tourist
Recently, a video was shared on multiple profiles on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) claiming that an American tourist was harassed in Bangladesh for not wearing a hijab. However, verification reveals that the woman in the video was not an American tourist but a Bangladeshi model and actress. While celebrating the birthday of the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. The woman herself informed Dismislab that her harassment was politically motivated.
On September 30, a user with the account name “Hindutva Knight” shared the video on X, claiming, “An American woman is heckled and harassed by Bangladeshis for not wearing a hijab. This is what free Bangladesh under the leadership of Nobel Laureate Younus looks like – A Global shame.” The woman is seen holding a cake on a rickshaw in the video. However, few people around her were seen reacting aggressively. The video has over a million views, 14,000 reactions, and over 900 comments. Almost 4,000 users have reposted the video on X. Another account named “Justice Watch” reposted the video, falsely claiming, “An American tourist in Bangladesh being harassed by locals for not wearing a Hijab! That was apparently the “New Bangladesh” according to their local media … #Bangladesh #USA #Isr.” Multiple other posts on X also falsely claimed the woman as an “American tourist” or “American woman.” The video was also shared by an Indian media outlet, Asianet Newsable on its X handle under the same narrative.
A keyword search led to a video report from the verified Facebook page of the daily newspaper Kaler Kantho, which explains the incident. On Sunday, September 29, Misty Subhas, the woman in the video, went to the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) at Dhaka University, with a cake to celebrate former PM Sheikh Hasina’s 78th birthday. She represented herself as a leader of the Bangamata Cultural Alliance and said to the journalists, “I don’t want to cut this cake to gain attention, but I want to say that I love love love my leader very much.” During the event, some street children began chanting slogans against her and Sheikh Hasina, prompting Misty to leave the area. Expressing her frustration at the hostile behavior later, Misty said, “I can endure even more humiliation than this for my leader.”
When Dismislab contacted Misty Shuvas, she confirmed that she is not an American citizen. She is only a Bangladeshi. She said, “The claims that I was harassed for my attire is completely false.” While acknowledging the incident as unpleasant, she further said that it was purely political and had nothing to do with her clothing. She emphasized that the narratives spread on X and other platforms regarding her clothes and nationality, were false and misleading.
Moreover, several profiles on Facebook have also shared the same video (1, 2, 3) explaining the original context of the incident. The Daily Inqilab also published a report discussing the social and political context of the incident.
However, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from office on August 5th after a student uprising. She turned 78 on September 28. She was born in 1947 in Tungipara, Gopalganj District, Bangladesh.
