Fact Check: 2009 photo of Friday namaz at US Capitol Hill falsely claims to show 'Biden's new America'
US President Joe Biden signed 17 executive orders, memorandums, and proclamations, including ending the Muslim travel ban, soon after he was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 24 Jan 2021 2:29 PM IST
Hyderabad: US President Joe Biden signed 17 executive orders, memorandums, and proclamations, including ending the Muslim travel ban, soon after he was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.
Amidst this, a photo of a large group of men performing 'namaz' in front of the US Capitol Hill has gone viral on social media with the claim that the image is from the Friday prayer held at the foot of the Capitol Hill after Biden became the President.
The caption reads, "Joe Biden's new America in front of Capitol Hill on Friday."
The archived versions of similar posts can be seen here, here, and here.
Fact Check:
NewsMeter found that the image is from 2009 and is being shared with misleading claims.
We found an article from 2019 that carried the same image with the title "Islam in America". Another report from Boston 25 News from 2017 also had the same image with the caption "Muslims say prayer during the "Islam on Capitol Hill 2009" event at the West Front Lawn of the U.S. Capitol September 25, 2009 in Washington, D.C."
The reports credited the image to photographer Alex Wong and stock image site Getty Images. We also found the image on Getty website.
According to a CNN report from September 2009, "Islam on Capitol Hill 2009" was a day of Islamic prayer service "intended to inspire American Muslims and non-Muslims alike". The event was organized by the president of Dar UI Islam mosque in Elizabeth, New Jersey. According to the organizers, thousands of people from all over the US, as well as from other countries, such as Britain and Canada, attended the event.
As the viral image has been on the Internet since 2009 it is clear that the image is not related to Biden's executive orders. Hence, the claims are MISLEADING claims.
