An amateurishly doctored picture of convicted war criminal Delwar Hossain Sayedee’s face superimposed on the moon has sparked violence by his supporters who apparently saw it as a divine omen.
The photo, which was posted to the Jamaat-Shibir Facebook page Saturday night, quickly went viral, and was spread by supporters via cell phone and computers, reports Bangladesh’s The Daily Star.
A caption to the photo reads: “From late Friday night to early Saturday, people from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia saw Sayedee’s face (in the moon). Such an image is God’s sign that true devotees are honoured in different ways.”
To at least some true believers it was a sign they should rise up against his conviction stemming from Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation war. Islamic scholars called the ploy despicable and counter-images, including ones of Sayedee’s face super-imposed on the bottom of a baboon, soon began to make the rounds on the Internet.
See also: