Cii News | 24 September 2012

Chain messages being circulated that allege an earthquake destroying a cinema wherein an anti-Islam film were screened, have been exposed as a hoax.

“…an earthquake hit the cinema of the abusing movie to Prophet Mohammed. The whole cinema is smashed,” reads one such widely circulated email.  Another offers a picure of what it claims is a cinema in America that allegedly was going to play the blasphemous film on September 18 at noon. It proceeds to suggest that an earthquake hit that area causing the cinema building to be ruptured into two pieces. “The Americans are so shocked at the miracle that they didn’t allow full media coverage on the topic and that’s why you didn’t hear about it on the news today!” , it boldly proclaims.

However, researchers have conclusively debunked the story, revealing that the images being touted as evidence are in fact falsifications of pictures from a 2010 natural disaster.

As corroborated by a variety of sources, the photograph being circulated was actually taken from a news story about an earthquake in Chile 2 years ago. The original photo caption reads:

“Residents look at a collapsed building in Concepcion, Chile, Saturday Feb. 27, 2010 after an 8.8-magnitude struck central Chile. The epicenter was 70 miles (115 kilometers) from Concepcion, Chile’s second-largest city.”

The falsified image from a 2010 Chile Earthquake

Regarding seismic activity in the United States during September, the US Geological Service records the most significant earthquake in the United States this month to have occured on September 7, when a small 3.4 magnitude tremor was felt in Beverly Hills, California. No damage was reported from this quake.

According to the public record, the “Innocence of Muslims” was only ever screened once  at the Vine Theater in Hollywood, California on June 23, 2012 to an audience of ten people. The film had no subtitles and was presented in English. An employee of the theater told Fox News, “The film we screened was titled The Innocence of Bin Laden,” and added that it was a “small viewing.” A second screening was planned for June 30, 2012 but never occured.

The Vine Theatre in Hollywood, California, where the only public screening of "The Innocence of Muslims" is known to have taken place

In adherence to the Islamic injunctions of verifying news prior to dissemination, and not indulging in unsubstantiated scandal and gossip, the Muslim community is advised to desist from circulating such messages.