Evaluating Dr. Rashid Buttar’s claims on the COVID-19 virus

Please note:  At this stage this document represents a personal opinion and not necessarily the views of INcontext International

Instead of evaluating every fact that Dr. Rashid Buttar presents, blasting Bill Gates, exposing false COVID-19 numbers and placing the complete medical science under suspicion, it will be of more value to establish some basic principles and then apply them to evaluate the video.  The principles should include the following:

FACT CHECKING THE AUTHOR

• Is he who he claims to be?
• Is he speaking from his field of expertise?

FACT CHECKING THE SOURCE

• What is the nature of the source?
• Is the source known for its non-biased reporting?
• Can you find the same information somewhere else from a credible source?

FACT CHECKING THE CONTENT

• Is the author conveying facts in search of truth or is there an agenda?

FACT CHECKING THE TONE:

• Is the tone of the author accusing, aggressive, alarmist or does it convey concern, care and anguish?

FACT CHECK SCRIPTURE

• If the content contains any slander (even in the name of truth), if it creates fear (even in the name of truth), if it creates suspicion or division (even in the name of truth) it is NOT from God and should be rejected.

So, let’s turn to the video of Dr. Rashid Buttar

FACT CHECKING THE AUTHOR

• Is he who he claims to be?
• NO – First of all, Dr. Rashid Buttar is not one of the top doctors in the USA as claimed in the introduction. Rashid Buttar is a doctor but specializes in Osteopathic medicine.  He is known for his controversial use of chelation therapy for numerous conditions, including autism and cancer. He has been reprimanded by the North Carolina Board of Medical Examiners for unethical treatment of patients. In 2007, Buttar was charged by the North Carolina Board of Medical Examiners with unethical treatment of four cancer patients. The panel recommended that Buttar’s “license be suspended indefinitely, but that the suspension be immediately stayed”. In 2010 the board, in response to this and other concerns, chose to formally reprimand Buttar but allowed him to continue to practice.

• Is he speaking from his field of expertise?
• NO – There is no doubt that Dr. Rashid Buttar knows what he is talking about and that he is highly skilled in his field of expertise BUT he is qualified in Osteopathic medicine and is not qualified as a Virologist. He knows a lot about medicine but does not qualify as an expert in the study of viral – submicroscopic, parasitic particles of genetic material contained in a protein coat – and virus-like agents.  Frontier physician Andrew Taylor Still founded the Osteopathic profession as a rejection of the prevailing system of medical practices throughout the 19th century. Still’s techniques relied on manipulation of joints and bones, to diagnose and treat illness, and he called his practices “osteopathy”.

FACT CHECKING THE SOURCE

• What is the nature of the source?

Is this really the source you want to trust with this critical information (all the videos above are from the Next News Network)?

MEDIA BIAS/FACT CHECK, the most comprehensive media bias resource (https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/next-news-network/), regard Next News Network as EXTREME right-wing biased.  Next News Network was founded by radical Zionist Gary Franchi as an alternative news source. This source has strong pro-Israel bias and right-wing bias with American politics. Within a context of a non-biased media source NNN is extremely manipulative and definitely not a trust-worthy source

• Is the source known for its non-biased reporting?
• No, and it seems to be quite proud of that.  All headlines are provocative and slanderous, definitely not a source that Christians should find confidence in

• Can you find the same information somewhere else from a credible source?
• Only from similar conspiracy-based sources where no specialised scientific facts are presented

FACT CHECKING THE CONTENT

• Is the author conveying facts in search of truth or is there an agenda?
• The claims made are absolutely ridiculous – nurses being laid off, deaths not really COVID-19 related, mannequins being used, staff playing chess….  The accusations are not only ridiculous and not worth addressing but deeply distressing and harmful.  The question is why do doctors and health-care workers across the globe risk their lives to save the thousands who are dying in hospitals.  Why do organisations like Samaritans Purse put up field hospitals in New York and weep at the mass graves.  Are they all part of the conspiracy?  Why do we suddenly find one voice believable and suddenly distrust the multitudes of experts, health care workers and scientists – not to talk about family members and friends.

There is no doubt that Dr. Rashid Buttar has an agenda.  Once he deviates from the topic and starts talking about guns, conspiracies, politics, etc – you know we are now moving from providing facts into stating an agenda.

The facts that Dr. Rashid Buttar supply are all unsubstantiated facts and mostly fabricated by one person, with lots of credentials, and then forwarded by everybody who wants to believe what he says. The 5G claim has already been debunked by countless scientific researchers and there is absolutely no concrete evidence to support the claims Dr. Buttar makes.  In his own words “I am not an expert in this field” and yet he makes claims that make people distrust those who actually do know what the facts are.  Sadly, clever people can also be fooled into conspiracies. If this was factual it would have been on major sources that reports for the benefit of their readers without trying to manipulate them into a direction

FACT CHECKING THE TONE:

• Is the tone of the author accusing, aggressive, alarmist or does it convey concern, care and anguish?
• Sadly, there is no trace of anguish for the thousands of people dying.  This is not a plea to alleviate suffering.  There is not a trace of empathy, you only hear aggression, anger and sense a victim mentality.  If you listen to Bill Gates you sense a deep desire to help, make a difference and assist.  Why mistrust those who are making a difference and believe those who slander them

FACT CHECK SCRIPTURE

• If the content contains any slander (even in the name of truth), if it creates fear (even in the name of truth), if it creates suspicion or division (even in the name of truth) it is NOT from God and should be rejected.
• It simply contains all these elements and therefore I believe that not only are the facts misrepresented but so are the message of Christ.

Before passing on messages of this nature, rather consider the Biblical principle of:  (Philippians 4:8) “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” 

Have a look at the following site and forward this to friends as an alternative:  https://thethirdway.org/nurses-are-the-coronavirus-heroes/