By: Umme Kulsum
April 30 2024
No, viral clip does not show 'Liverpool Mayor' embracing Islam
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Screenshot of posts claiming to show Lord Mayor of Liverpool reciting a religious oath and accepting Islam. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)
Fact-Check
The Verdict False
The individual reciting the Islamic oath is neither Lord Mayor of Liverpool in England nor Mayor of Liverpool in Australia’s New South Wales.
Claim ID 6c24d423
What’s the claim?
A video circulating on social media depicts a man in a white shirt reciting the Islamic oath (Shahada) in what appears to be a mosque, accompanied by an Imam (someone who leads the prayers) and several seated individuals. The man first recites a prayer in Arabic, followed by an English translation affirming belief in Allah and the Prophet Muhammad, saying, “I testify there is no god but Allah and Muhammed is the messenger of Allah.” The video has an overlaid text in Malayalam that reads, “Mayor of Liverpool, accepts Islam (translated).”
A U.K.-based Facebook user shared the clip with the caption, “Mayor of Liverpool pronouncing Shahada to. Embrace Islam. Allahahu Akbar (sic).” An archived version of the post can be found here. Another Facebook user sharing the clip wrote, “Ned Manoon, The Mayor of Liverpool pronouncing Shahaada to embrace Islam. ALLAAHU AKBAR KABIIIRAH (sic).” An archived version of the post can be found here.
Screenshot of claims made online. (Source: Facebook/X/Modified by Logically Facts)
However, the viral claim is false.
What did we find?
The current Lord Mayor of Liverpool, a maritime city in England, is Mary Rasmussen, who has held the post since May 2023. Rasmussen, a woman with blonde hair, is also nowhere to be seen in the viral clip.
Lord Mayor Mary Rasmussen as seen on the Liverpool Townhall website. (Source: Screenshot/Liverpool Townhall, England)
Logically Facts also contacted Liverpool Townhall’s Communications Manager, Sarah Latcham, who unequivocally rejected the claims linked to the viral video, saying, “It is not the Lord Mayor of Liverpool.”
The Mayor of Liverpool City in New South Wales, Australia, is Ned Mannoun. From the official website of Liverpool City Council one can easily deduce that Mannoun’s appearance does not match the individual seen in the viral video reciting the religious oath.
A photo of Mayor Ned Mannoun on Liverpool City Council's website. (Source: Liverpool City Council Australia/YouTube)
Moreover, through a reverse image search using keyframes from the viral video, Logically Facts traced the viral video back to March 22 (archived here). It was shared by TikTok user ‘@atiqrao.’ This video was of better quality and did not feature any overlaid text suggesting that the individual was the Mayor or Lord Mayor of Liverpool.
Further research led us to another TikTok post shared on April 1 by one ‘Marian Teffaha LIONESS.’ The post (archived here) carried the same clip with overlaid text that read, “ALHUMDILLAH DR JOSHUA MORGAN ACCEPTS ISLAM.” The accompanying hashtags in the caption provided no information on where the video was shot and when. A Google search for ‘Dr Joshua Morgan’ did not lead us to any post, article, or any information on the man seen in the viral footage.
Logically Facts has reached out to the above-mentioned TikTok users for more information on the clip in question. This fact-check will be updated if and when we receive a response.
The verdict
The individual featured in the video is neither the Lord Mayor of Liverpool in England nor the Mayor of Liverpool in New South Wales, Australia. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.