Fact-Check: Did American President Biden Recite Islamic Du’a in Arabic in Viral Video?

Fact-Check: Did American President Biden Recite Islamic Du’a in Arabic in Viral Video?

Claim: a new video circulating on WhatsApp depicts United States President, Joe Biden Reciting an Islamic prayer ‘Du’a Kumayl,’ dubbing it his favorite. 

Full Text: in the now viral video with shows only a headshot frame of Biden in a dimly lit background, he said, “the verse that I like alot is very beautiful, it’s called du’a Kumayl, I read it every Thursday before going to bed…” He then recited the prayer in Arabic. 

Du’a Kumayl is a famous Islamic prayer attributed to Kumayl ibn Ziyad, a companion of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and the fourth caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib. The prayer is also known as Du’a Kumayl ibn Ziyad or Du’a Ali ibn Abi Talib.

The prayer known in Islamic world as deeply spiritual and philosophical explores themes of purification, self-reflection, and the search for guidance and forgiveness. It is widely recited among Shia Muslims.

Verification: PRNigeria searched online for possible recent reports that may have covered the issue, however, there was no result showing any occasion, timestamp or location that reported President Biden reciting the du’a Kumayl. 

PRNigeria also checked the YouTube and other White House communication channels but could not find any such report. 

However, related results shows that during the Islamic Eid Celebration on May 2022 while addressing a gathering at a Whitehouse hall, President Biden quoted a verse from the Holy Quran ‘Surah Al-Hujurat’ (49:13) saying, “…We have made you into nations and tribes so you may know one another…” empasising the last part, “so you may know one another.”

Another video of Biden listening to the recitation of the Quran went viral in May 2023 during an Eid Celebration alongside Imam Makhdoom Zia in the East Room of the Whitehouse. The video was also posted online by a Whitehouse YouTube channel.

Previously, in September 2020, during his first presidential debate while confronting Donald Trump, Biden used the Arabic phrase “In Sha Allah” (meaning God willing) in its correct sarcastic context impressing many Muslims and Arabic speaking people on Social Media. 

However, there was nowhere where he was seen directly reciting Qur’anic verses or Arabic Du’a’s and expressioning passion and commitment to them. 

Thus, PRNigeria then analysed the clip’s body movement, visuals and audio effects and detected that it was an AI-Generated synthetic media based on the following observations: 

Visual artifacts: there were apparent inconsistencies in lighting, shading, and facial expressions in the video, with the plain background failing to perfectly depict reality. 

Eye movement and blinking: AI-generated faces might exhibit unusual eye movements or blinking patterns and this was clear when the video was observed closely. 

Facial symmetry:  a peculiar and exaggerated symmetry that doesn’t typically occur in natural human faces was observed in the video.

Human faces usually have some degree of asymmetry, with small variations in the shape and position of features like eyes, eyebrows, nose, and mouth. This asymmetry is a natural result of genetic and environmental factors during development.

In contrast, AI algorithms generate faces with an unnatural, perfect symmetry, which can appear eerie or artificial. This is because these algorithms often rely on averaging facial features or using mathematical models that prioritize symmetry.

Audio-visual inconsistencies: while the audio and video components seemed almost perfectly synced a detailed observation of the video still revealed a slight desynchronization.

AI-generated synthetic media refers to digital media generated or manipulated using AI algorithms. Some types of AI-generated synthetic media include Synthetic Text Generation, Synthetic Image Generation, Synthetic Audio Generation, and Synthetic Video Generation. 

AI-generated synthetic media is revolutionizing various industries, such as entertainment, gaming, business, and education. However, it also raises ethical concerns, such as the potential to spread misinformation and privacy issues.

Conclusion: findings by PRNigeria revealed that the video being bandied around to portray President Biden reciting du’a Kumayl is not real but an AI generated synthetic media. There’s no occasion, timestamp, or location to lay credence to the report. 

PRNigeria therefore concludes that the video is misleading. 

By PRNigeria