Hijab

Is a video of an Iraqi woman saying in Swedish that she used the Swedish welfare system "to the max" real? Yes, it is: Tara Sabah Mohammed Saleh said she was being sarcastic during a TikTok Live stream in reaction to racist social media comments that told her "to go home." A Swedish news report called her a pro-Palestinian activist…

Does real CCTV footage capture schoolchildren kneeling on prayer mats and repeating the Muslim declaration of faith, "Allahu Akbar", as viral social media posts claim? No, that's not true: The low-quality clip seemed to have been distorted to conceal the evidence it was AI-generated video. For example, the clip showed the instructor rising from her knees to sit on a…

Has the woman photographed wearing a pink hijab posing next to a swastika been identified as Linda Sarsour, senior advisor of the Zohran for NYC campaign? No, that's not true on two counts. Linda Sarsour is not the senior advisor of the NYC mayoral campaign of Zohran Mamdani -- the "senior campaign advisor" is Zara Rahim. The photo of the…

Does a video on social media show a crowd waving more Palestinian flags than French flags and celebrating victory for the political left in July 2024 French elections? No, that's not true: The video posted to "prove" the claim was shot during a pro-Palestinian march a month prior to the July 2024 French elections. A French news outlet's article confirmed…

Did the government of Iran "abolish" its morality police in response to country-wide protests that erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini during detention by the morality police for wearing a loose headscarf in September 2022? No, that's not true: Iran's Attorney General Mohammad Javad Montazeri made a comment in early December that led to many news organizations using the…

Did Iran sentence 15,000 protesters to death as of November 16, 2022? No, that's not true: While those participating in the uprising face serious risks to their well-being and in some cases their lives, the figure of 15,000 refers to the total number of detainees, which cannot be independently verified. As of this writing, one case of the death penalty…

Was the father of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in Iran after being arrested for allegedly violating strict hijab laws, seen dancing on her grave? No, that's not true. A video alleged to show Amini's father dancing is an excerpt from a fictional TV series in Azerbaijan, Iran's northwestern neighbor. The claim appeared in an October 1, 2022,…

Is the ESPN tweet about "a noose found in Bubba Wallace's stall at Talladega Superspeedway" correct? Yes, but it is missing context that makes it clear the noose's message was not likely intended for Wallace. The tweet is a 2:54 video trailer for an ESPN TV special documentary titled, "E60: Fistful of Steel: The Rise of Bubba Wallace," that includes…

Does a viral photo show U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar without a head scarf? No, that's not true: it is an altered image of a man arrested in South Wales that purports to be the Democrat from Minnesota. The image, including one posted here (archived here), shows a side-by-side photo of Rep. Omar wearing a hijab next to another image of…

Did Fox News terminate Judge Jeanine Pirro's contract for her show, "Justice with Judge Jeanine?" No, that's not true: Pirro still hosts her show and is a legal analyst for Fox News Channel. This is a work of satire pushed by a liberal troll of conservatives, and Pirro's show airs on Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET. She's been with Fox…