Video shows Muslim praying at Sikh gurdwara in Malaysia where MP’s interfaith iftar sparked row? – AFP Fact Check

By AFP Fact Check | MALAYSIA |

No, this video does not show a Muslim praying at a Sikh temple in Malaysia where a Muslim lawmaker was criticised for attending an interfaith iftar

A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook and YouTube alongside a claim it shows a Muslim praying at a Sikh temple in Malaysia where a lawmaker was criticised for attending an interfaith iftar during Ramadan in 2019. The claim is false; the video was filmed at a different temple more than 130 miles away.

The video was shared in this Facebook post on May 29, 2019, where it has been viewed more than 213,000 times and shared more than 3,100 times.

Below is a screenshot of the misleading Facebook post:

The one-minute, 39-second video shows a man dressed in Muslim attire facing a Sikh man who is sitting on a stage. The man in Muslim attire kneels and bows his head several times in prayer towards the stage.

The Malaysian-language caption translates to English as: “This video was taken at gurdwara sahib temple, Johor Bahru. If this man is Muslim, which Islamic school of thought does he belong to? Islamic prayers but no rukuk (a bowing gesture while praying).

Congratulations MP Johor Bahru, may your reckoning be easy.”

The misleading post was shared a day after Johor Bahru lawmaker Akmal Nasir was criticized after he attended an interfaith iftar, or fast-breaking meal, at the Gurdwara Sahib in Johor Baru on the evening of May 28, 2019, during Ramadan.

The video was actually filmed at a different temple more than 130 miles away and posted days before the controversy was sparked over the lawmaker’s actions.

See the full report entitled ‘Video shows Muslim praying at Sikh temple in Malaysia where MP’s interfaith iftar sparked row?’ (AFP Singapore, 10 June 2019) here.

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