By: Rajini KG
June 2 2023
Old video from Turkey shared to claim New Zealand has a new Islamic anthem
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Fact-Check
The Verdict False
A choir performance at a church in Istanbul has been misrepresented to claim they sang the new anthem introduced by the New Zealand government.
Claim ID 021b2ab3
Context
A video that is claimed to be from New Zealand is circulating on social media platforms with the caption: "The New Zealand government created an "anthem" that was set to music and sung in front of thousands of people in Abadala church. It has 99 special names of "Allah”." The video shows singers performing with musicians in front of a huge crowd gathered in the big hall. The video has gone viral on Facebook and Twitter as well.
However, the claim is false. The video is not related to New Zealand. There are also no credible reports of New Zealand creating or adopting a new anthem for the country.
In Fact
The video has the logo ‘TRT M Canli’ on the top left corner of the video, and the text "Saraybosna Fatih Sultan Mehmet Korosu Konseri" on the bottom right. The logo is of the TRT MÜZİK channel, which is one of the channels handled by Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), according to a report by TRT Haber. A keyword search for "Saraybosna Fatih Sultan Mehmet Korosu Konseri" led us to a video posted by TRT izle (Watch TRT) on the website Dailymotion posted in 2011. The video was titled: "Saraybosna Fatih Sultan Mehmet Korosu Konseri - 2011-05-29." At the timestamp of 4:56 minutes, we can see the same visuals seen in the now-viral video. The visuals, audio, and attire of the singers and musicians match the viral video. TRT Müzik posted a glimpse of the same video on its Facebook page on August 14, 2012. It was captioned as "Sarajevo Fatih Sultan Mehmet Choir is on the screen with its magnificent concert in Hagia Irene."
Further, Logically Facts found that Benart Organisation, which worked on the sound and light systems during the performance in Istanbul in 2011, had posted the video and images from the concert. It mentions that on May 29, 2011, the concert took place in Hagia Irene in Istanbul. TRT Music invited the Sarajevo Fatih Sultan Mehmet Choir as a special guest to Istanbul. Students from the Bosnia Music Academy from Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia were part of the concert and they sang hymns in Ottoman Turkish, Bosnian, Arabic, and English. At the 0:56 timestamp, the visuals match the viral video.
We found that Hagia Irene is one of the oldest churches located in Istanbul, Turkey. We compared the interior hall, which is shown on the Istanbul Museum website, with the viral video — the structure of the building and the stage location are the same.
Former Turkish President Abdullah Gül posted the images from the event held on May 29, 2023, on his website. The image description states that on May 29, 2011, President Gül and his wife, Hayrünnisa Gül, visited Istanbul's Hagia Sophia and Hagia Irene. President Gül praised the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Choir after the performance. Turkish News website Yeniasya also reported the event. Therefore, it confirms the video is from a concert held in Turkey, and was not taken in New Zealand.
Additionally, there are no news reports or official announcements made by the New Zealand government about any such new anthem.
The Verdict
A 2011 concert held in Istanbul, Turkey, has been falsely linked to New Zealand. Neither the New Zealand government nor any news media reported about the creation of any new anthem in the name of Allah.