A video is going viral on social media showing a groom with a young girl. Some users are claiming that the groom has performed Nikah (married) with the child.
A user named Catholic Gospel Media shared the video with a caption that translates to: “A little girl of about 9 years was married to a man of 30 or 35 years. This is madness! It is time we call things by their right names: this is ‘paedophilia,’ and it must stop at all costs! Is it right to snatch a child’s childhood and innocence to satisfy the lust of elders in the name of culture and tradition? This is a heinous crime!!!”
Additionally, the video has been shared by several other users with the same claim. which can be seen here, here, and here.
Fact Check:
The team at DFRAC found during their investigation that the claim is false. The Muslim man did not marry the young girl shown in the video. The girl is actually the man’s niece, who was standing with him to take a photo with her maternal uncle (the groom). The groom was married to a different woman. The original video was found on Instagram, posted by a user named rukhsar_mulla20, who captioned it “Mamu’s niece.” The text on the video also reads: “A niece is not just her parents’ daughter, but also the ‘first daughter’ of her maternal uncle.”
In addition, the same user shared other videos of the wedding rituals. In one such video, described as the “finding the ring” ceremony, the bride can be clearly seen here.
In another video shared by Rukhsar Mulla, a wedding card is visible. She stated that it was for her brother’s wedding. The address on the card is listed as Rourkela, Odisha, and the names mentioned are Zeeshan (groom) and Anam (bride).
The DFRAC team also contacted the number provided on the wedding card. The groom Zeeshan’s brother, Danish, confirmed that the girl in the viral video is their niece and that the claim of marriage with her is false. He stated that the groom was married to an adult woman.
Conclusion:
DFRAC’s fact-check clarifies that the viral video has been shared with a misleading claim. The girl seen in the video is the groom’s niece, posing for a photo with her uncle, and not his bride. According to the family, the groom’s marriage took place with an adult woman.
