Social media users are having a field day mocking The Washington Post headline that called Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi "austere religious scholar" after the dreaded terrorist was killed in a US raid.
"Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, austere religious scholar at helm of Islamic State, dies at 48" read the obituary headline of the post, triggering outrage among some social media users, a flood of memes in the platforms.
The headline was later changed to "Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, extremist leader of Islamic State, dies at 48".
"Regarding our al-Baghdadi obituary, the headline should never have read that way and we changed it quickly," tweeted Kristine Coratti Kelly, Vice President of Communications for The Washington Post.
Ajmal Kasab, student, backpacker and biryani connosieur, dies at 25 #WaPoDeathNotices pic.twitter.com/aFrgPUzosG
— Ahmed Shariff (@TheAhmedShariff) October 28, 2019
But the headline that called Baghdadi "austere religious scholar" stuck with Twitterati, leading to over 191,000 tweets under #WaPoDeathNotices.
"Mogambo, ever smiling, always happy chemistry enthusiast and ballistics afficionado dies at 58. #WaPoDeathNotice," tweeted one user from India.
Voldemort, austere political reformer and aspiring school teacher, killed by teen terrorist. #WaPoDeathNotices
— Robby Soave (@robbysoave) October 28, 2019
Mogambo referred to the villain played by Amrish Puri in the 1987 Shekhar Kapur-directed Bollywood film "Mr. India".
"Ajmal Kasab, student, backpacker and biryani connosieur, dies at 25 #WaPoDeathNotices," wrote another Twitter user, referring to the Pakistani terrorist who took part in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Twitter soon became full of headlines hailing dictators.
Famous, highly-prized, rebel, Gabbar Singh, passes away quietly in jail, mourned by his associates who ate his salt and bullets. He was known for his love of unusual dance forms, and for promoting a hands-free existence. #WaPoDeathNotices
— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) October 28, 2019
"Adolf Hitler, passionate community planner and dynamic public speaker, dies at 56. #WaPoDeathNotices," tweeted Jason Howerton.
"Saddam Hussein, successful politician, oil baron and noted tough boss, dead at 69. #WaPoDeathNotices," said Denise Batters, a Canadian Senator from Saskatchewan.
Adolf Hitler, dedicated art enthusiast, animal rights activist, and talented orator, dies at 56.#WaPoDeathNotices
— Lauren Chen (@TheLaurenChen) October 28, 2019
In their effort to highlight the irony of The Washington Post's headline, users from around the world picked up the villains of reel and the real world to create headlines and memes highlighting their positive sides.
Baghdadi, who was in his late 40s and carried a bounty of at least $25 million, was one of the most wanted terrorists in the world. He presided over the brutal 'Caliphate' that he had set up in Syria and Iraq enforcing a fundamentalist code and killing thousands.
Hannibal Lecter, well-known forensic psychiatrist and food connoisseur dead at 81. #WaPoDeathNotices
— Kassy Dillon (@KassyDillon) October 27, 2019
His death on Saturday in a US Special Forces operation in the Idlib area of Syria is a setback to the IS for whom he was an inspirational leader, extending its tentacles even into India.
"Thanos, a passionate advocate of population controls to save Earth, dies at over 1,000 years" #WaPoDeathNotices pic.twitter.com/16lvv8hery
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) October 27, 2019
Jeffrey Dahmer, connoisseur of exotic and locally sourced meats, dies at 34. #WaPoDeathNotices pic.twitter.com/CbKOFeVZK5
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 28, 2019
His Majesty Idi Amin Dada, last king of Scotland, Ugandan revolutionary, scotch connoisseur, gourmand of hominid delights, pioneer of demographic change, inventor of aircraft route diversion politics & champion of African resistance to capitalism dies #WaPoDeathNotices
— Abhijit Iyer-Mitra (@Iyervval) October 28, 2019
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2019
Was Trump posing later for photo of raid on Al-Baghdadi?
A visual of US President Donald Trump seeing the raid in which US Special Forces cornered and killed Islamic State chief Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi seems to be taken afterwards, suggests a former chief of the White House Photography Office who took the picture of President Barack Obama and his team monitoring the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden.
Osama bin Laden, father of 23, killed in home invasion #WaPoDeathNotices
— Joe DeVito (@JoeDeVitoComedy) October 27, 2019
Pete Souza, who was Chief Official White House Photographer to Presidents Ronald Reagan and Obama, said in a tweet the raid, as reported, took place at 3.30 p.m. Washington time, but Trump's photo, as shown in the camera IPTC data, was taken at "17:05:24".
The raid, as reported, took place at 3:30PM Washington time. The photo, as shown in the camera IPTC data, was taken at "17:05:24". https://t.co/XV0MFfFiTt
— Pete Souza (@PeteSouza) October 27, 2019
The photo shows Trump, flanked by Vice President Mike Pence, Defense Secretary Mark Asper, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brian, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark A. Milley, and the Joint Staff's Deputy Director for Special Operations, Brig. Gen. Marcus Evans, gazing sternly at the camera.
To a response from Twitter user W Bonnaud-Dowell that Trump and the others could be there two hours later and it "doesn't seem unreasonable if they were waiting for the crew to return to the base", Souza said: "Sure, it's possible."
These #WaPoDeathNotices [inspired by @washingtonpost headline for obituary of world's most-wanted terrorist, ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ] are hilarious!
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 28, 2019
Mine: "Nathuram Godse, eloquent defender of majority rights, passes away in suspended animation at 39". https://t.co/xvuhM1svkU
Replying to another now-deleted tweet, he also acknowledged that it was possible the raid was still ongoing when Trump was photographed on Saturday. "It's entirely possible that the raid was still going on at 5:05 p.m. Before drawing definite conclusions about the photo, reporters need to nail down the actual timeline of the raid."
Souza also told another Twitter user that he did not say the photo was "staged".
The headline of this “obituary” also marks the death of reason. What are they trying to prove? Being fair to the ISIS chief by highlighting his accomplishments? Appeasement is as dangerous as antagonism & prejudice. #WaPoDeathNotices pic.twitter.com/MNC3nYHtEM
— Palki Sharma (@palkisu) October 28, 2019
"Just to be clear, I didn't say it was staged. Trump himself said he didn't arrive to the Situation Room until "around 5pm". So it's definitely possible the photo was taken during the raid," he tweeted.
Ganesh Gaitonde, a hypothetical God, moon landing expert, chicken lover, nuclear researcher & a son of three loving fathers dies in Mumbai age 45. #WaPoDeathNotices
— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) October 28, 2019