Viral Image of Rahul Gandhi with Zakir Naik Is AI-Manipulated
A photo (here, here & here) is being circulated online claiming to show Congress MP Rahul Gandhi meeting Islamic preacher Zakir Naik in Malaysia. Let’s verify this claim.
Claim: Photo of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi meeting Islamic preacher Zakir Naik in Malaysia.
Fact: The photo is digitally manipulated. AI-detection tools flagged it as a deepfake, and a reverse image search traced the original to 2023, showing Zakir Naik and his son meeting the Grand Mufti of Oman. The image of Rahul Gandhi used in the viral photo was taken from his March 2025 London event. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
First, we observed that the viral photo carries a ‘ChatGPT’ watermark at the bottom-right corner, suggesting it may have been AI-generated or manipulated.
To confirm this, we ran the photo through AI-detection tools such as Hive, which flagged it as deepfake content.
Next, we conducted a reverse image search and found the original photo published by several media outlets (here, here & here) in 2023. According to these reports, the photo actually shows Zakir Naik and his son Farik meeting with the Grand Mufti of the Sultanate of Oman, Sheikh Ahmad bin Hamad Al-Khalili. A comparison clearly indicates that the viral photo was digitally altered using AI.
Additionally, we found that the image of Rahul Gandhi inserted into the viral photo was taken from an event in London, where he interacted with the Indian Journalists Association in March 2025.
While we could not independently verify whether Rahul Gandhi met Zakir Naik in Malaysia, the available evidence confirms that this particular viral photo has been manipulated using AI and does not depict a real event.
To sum up, the edited photo falsely claims to show Rahul Gandhi meeting Zakir Naik in Malaysia.