Comedian Hasan Minhaj was accused in a recent New Yorker magazine story of fabricating or exaggerating the personal stories he tells in his stand-up routine. The article suggested that he was not truthful in his accounts of his life experiences, particularly those related to his experiences as a Muslim American and an Asian American. In response to this article, Hasan Minhaj, The Daily Show alum, released a detailed 21-minute video countering the allegations.

The article in The New Yorker implied that Hasan Minhaj may have stretched the truth when sharing his personal encounters with racism, Islamophobia, and political challenges.

Watch the video here:

In response to The New Yorker’s claims, Hasan Minhaj offers additional details on three stories from his stand-up routine that came under scrutiny. These stories involve his experience of being rejected for a prom date due to racism, encounters with undercover law enforcement monitoring the Muslim community in his hometown, and a personal incident involving an anthrax scare at his residence.

In the beginning of the video, he said he understands if fans are asking, “Is Hasan Minhaj just a con artist who uses fake racism and Islamophobia to advance his career? Because after reading that article, I would also think that.”

“I just want to say to anyone who felt betrayed or hurt by my stand-up, I am sorry. I made artistic choices to express myself and drive home larger issues affecting me and my community, and I feel horrible that I let people down.”

“And the reason I feel horrible is because I’m not a psycho,” he added. “But this New Yorker article definitely made me look like one.” He said the article was “needlessly misleading, not just about my standup but also about me as a person. The truth is, racism, FBI surveillance, and the threats to my family happened.”

“So I’m going to do the most Hasan Minhaj thing ever: I’m going to do a deep dive on my own scandal, with graphics, because there is so much evidence I gave the New Yorker that they ignored that I want to show you,” he continued.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, in Minhaj’s Netflix special Homecoming King, he tells a story of asking a white girl (whom he gives the pseudonym “Bethany Reed”) to prom, only to show up at her house and be told by her mother that Bethany won’t go with him because her family doesn’t want their daughter in pictures with “a brown boy.”

“Bethany’s mom really did say that-it was just a few days before prom,” he said in the video. “I created the doorstep scene to drop the audience into the feeling of that moment, which I told the reporter.”

In the video, Hasan Minhaj plays an audio clip of a portion of his conversation with writer Clare Malone, where they discuss the particular scene in question.

Additionally, the video presents emails and text messages exchanged between Minhaj and Bethany, demonstrating that he provided this evidence to the magazine. These messages show Bethany expressing gratitude to Minhaj for his efforts in protecting her and her family.

The auspicious festival of Karwa Chauth, also known as Karak Chaturthi, will be observed on November 1. On this day, married women observe a full-day fast or a Nirjala vrat (fasting without food and water) for their husbands and pray for their long life, security and good health. The women observe fast from sunrise till moonrise.

As part of the puja rituals, married women worship Lord Ganesha, Maa Parvati, Lord Shiva and Lord Kartikeya and break the fast by sighting the moon.

If this is your first time observing Karwa Chauth, then there are many dos and don’ts to keep in mind.

Important Dos and Don’ts For Those Fasting

On this day, women observing Karwa Chauth should wear the colour red. It is considered auspicious, however, there are some other colours married women can wear, including yellow, green, pink and orange. Women should avoid wearing black or white shades.Married women should apply henna on their hands a day before observing the fast.Drink as much water as you can, before sunrise.Women observing the fast should avoid using scissors, needles, or knives on this day.Women should not indulge in any strenuous activities while fasting.Sargi is an important ritual for the fast. Prepare a special thali containing different food items. The sargi should be consumed as a pre-dawn meal before starting the fast.Pregnant women should avoid keeping the fast, as it can affect the health of the mother and the child.Married women should avoid eating non-vegetarian food after breaking the fast.Married women should participate in the Karwa Chauth puja and listen to the Katha in the evening before breaking the fast.Women should include foods rich in protein and complex carbs before observing the fast.

Mahua Moitra’s login and travel details have been sought by the parliamentary Ethics Committee, which is inquiring into complaints of “cash for query” against the Trinamool Congress MP and held its first hearing on Thursday.

The Ethics Committee has written to the Union IT and Home ministries for details of Mahua Moitra’s logins and locations to try and verify allegations that she allowed businessman Darshan Hiranandani to access her parliamentary login to post questions directly for Lok Sabha.

The Lok Sabha MP has been accused of taking money to ask questions in parliament, on behalf of the businessman, allegedly designed to target the government and the Adani Group.

The panel has also written to the Ministry of External Affairs to check if an affidavit by Darshan Hiranandani, who is based in Dubai, is ratified.

In the affidavit, Mr Hiranandani had alleged that Mahua Moitra shared her Lok Sabha e-mail ID so he could send her information targeting the Adani Group and she could raise questions in parliament. He claimed she later gave him the login so he could post directly.

The panel has said it will call “no more witnesses” after hearing Mahua Moitra, and submit its report in the beginning of November.

In a nearly three-hour hearing yesterday, the committee heard BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai and discussed every aspect of the allegations they have made against the Trinamool MP.

Nishikant Dubey had first written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to start the inquiry, following Mr Dehadrai’s complaint to the Supreme Court.

Mr Dehradai, whom Ms Moitra called a “jilted ex”, claims “irrefutable evidence” of Darshan Hiranandani giving the Trinamool leader bribes to ask questions critical of the Adani Group.

Ms Moitra has denied all allegations and said that she is ready to answer questions from the committee.