Updated (25 November 2022):
In the context on ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, a video of a group of people reciting Arabic prayers is being widely shared on social media claiming that 120 non-Muslims accepted Islam in Qatar. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: 120 non-Muslims accepted Islam in Qatar during the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Fact: This video is uploaded on YouTube on 14 March 2018 with title “60 Filipinos convert to Islam”. FIFA world cup 2022 started in Qatar on 20 November 2022. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Reverse image search of the keyframes extracted from the viral video led us to a YouTube video posted on 14 March 2018 with the title “60 Filipinos convert to Islam”. Another video says that the location is Challenger Company in Al-Shahaniya near Doha, Qatar.
By comparing the visuals from the viral video with that of YouTube video, we can conclude that both videos show the same incident. Though we couldn’t independently verify the exact date and location of this incident, it is evident that this video is at least four years old and is not related to ‘FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022’
To sum it up, old unrelated video shared as people accepting Islam during FIFA world cup 2022 in Qatar.
Published (22 November 2022):
In the context of Islamic Preacher Zakir Naik being invited to FIFA world cup Qatar 2022 to give religious lectures throughout the tournament, a video of four people accepting Islam in the presence of Zakir naik is being widely shared with a claim that the incident took place during the ongoing FIFA world cup 2022. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Four people converted to Islam in the presence of Zakir Naik during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Fact: According to Al Jazeera and Qatar Tribune, this video shows four people accepting Islam during a Zakir Naik’s event held in Qatar on 26 May 2016. There are no such reports about conversion amid the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in the presence of Zakir Naik. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We searched the internet with relevant keywords and came across a YouTube video uploaded on 27 May 2016 with the title, “4 people converted to Islam immediately after the end of Zakir Naik’s lecture at Katara”. By comparing the visuals of viral video with that of this YouTube Video, we can conclude that these two videos show the same event.
Taking a cue from this, we further searched about this event and found a video uploaded on 29 May 2016 on ‘Aljazeera Mubasher’ YouTube channel, The visuals of this match with that of the above two videos. As per the description of this video, 4 people converted to Islam during a lecture titled ‘Does God Exist?’ by Zakir Naik.
According to media reports, on 26 May 2016, Katara, the Cultural Village Foundation, hosted a lecture delivered by Zakir Naik titled ‘Does God Exist?’. Over 13,000 attended this event. After Zakir concluded his lecture, four people ascended to the stage announcing their conversion to Islam.
To sum it up, old video of a group of people converting to Islam in Qatar in 2016 is being shared as recent one related to 2022 FIFA world cup.
