Fact Check: Woman leads Islamic prayers in Bangladesh? No, video is from Kerala
A video of a woman leading Islamic prayers is going viral with claims that the incident took place in Bangladesh.
By K Sherly Sharon Published on 19 March 2025 10:20 AM IST
Claim: The video shows a woman leading Islamic prayers in Bangladesh.
Fact: The claim is false. The incident took place in Malappuram, Kerala, not Bangladesh.
Hyderabad: A video showing a woman leading Islamic prayers is going viral on social media with claims that the incident took place in Bangladesh.
The video shows a woman in a hijab leading a group of men in prayer as "Allahu Akbar" is heard in the background.
Sharing the video, a Facebook user wrote, "It remained to be seen in the end. Women lead the prayer, men pray behind them!! What kind of Bangladesh are we in today?" (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The incident in the viral video took place in Kerala, India, not Bangladesh.
Using a keyword search, we found a YouTube video uploaded by WION on January 28, 2018 with the title "Female imam leads Friday prayers."
At the 00:06 mark, we can see a woman leading a group of men in prayer. A comparison between the viral video and the YouTube video reveals striking similarities.
The WION report states: āA Kerala Muslim Imam who held the Friday prayers at a mosque for the first time is now facing heat from the community. The 34 year-old Imam, Jamida, said she is facing threats from fundamentalists who are claiming that she has defied the religion.ā (Transcribed from the video)
A YouTube video by Crux, uploaded on January 31, 2018, also shows similar visuals of Jamida leading prayers. The video, titled "Islam in India | Meet Asia's First Lady Imam | Woman Leads Friday Prayers," confirms the location.
The text on the video states:"Jamida, 34, became the first woman to lead the Friday prayers in India on January 26, 2018."
It also indicates that the incident took place in Malappuram, Kerala.
A Times of India report, published on January 27, 2018, states that Jamida led the Friday prayers at the Qur'an Sunnath Society's head office in Malappuram.
"I am the first woman in India to lead the Friday prayers. Amina Wadud had done it in America some years ago," wrote Times of India quoting Jamida. Jamida also said there is no stipulation in Islam that only men can lead the prayers. "It is a practice imposed by patriarchy," she said.
Jamida, hailed as Asiaās first lady Imam, led the Friday prayers for the first time in Malappuram of Kerala. Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim is false.
