A video is being widely circulated on social media with sensational claims that “Goodbye Islam in Iran,” alleging that over ten tons of Qurans were thrown into a river and more than 50,000 mosques were shut down. The video is being used to suggest that Iran has launched a campaign against Islam.
A user, Manoj Shrivastava, shared the viral video claiming that Iran was witnessing the end of Islam. The post alleged that over ten tons of Qurans had been dumped into a river and that more than 50,000 mosques had been shut down.(English Translation)
Another user, Er L K Niranjan, shared the viral video with the caption: “When the people of Iran have abandoned the path of terror in favor of peace and tranquility, why does the government of India not come to its senses and curb terrorism within India as well?”(English Translation)
Several other users also shared the same video with similar claims, which can be seen here, here, and here.
Fact Check:
DFRAC investigated the viral claim and found it to be false. The video is not recent and has no connection to any anti-Islam campaign or mosque closures in Iran. To investigate, we conducted a reverse image search using keyframes from the viral clip. This led us to an Instagram post published by fasiribnews.ir on October 26, 2020, proving that the footage is nearly six years old.
The original post explained that the video was related to an incident at Tangab Dam in Firuzabad, Iran, where several worn-out copies of the Quran were found along the shoreline after images of them went viral online. Following the incident, Ruhollah Belouri, head of the Islamic Propagation Department in Firuzabad, visited the site and conducted a preliminary investigation. According to Belouri, it appeared that old and damaged copies of the Quran had been disposed of in the water, following a long-standing religious tradition. The force of the water later carried them to the edge of the reservoir, where they were discovered. In Islamic tradition, worn-out copies of the Quran are sometimes disposed of respectfully by burial or by placing them in flowing water when they are no longer usable.
To investigate further, we conducted a keyword search and found reports published by Hamshahri Online and Tabnak Fars. According to Hamshahri Online, quoting IRNA, the head of the Islamic Propagation Department in Firuzabad clarified that the incident was not an act of disrespect. He stated that “a person who intentionally wanted to insult the Quran would not have left the copies in the water.” Instead, he attributed the incident to a lack of awareness about the proper method for disposing of worn-out religious texts.
Similarly, Tabnak Fars, citing the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), reported that around 50 worn-out Qurans and old prayer books had been recovered from the shore of Tangab Dam. Belouri also urged mosque caretakers to hand over unusable Qurans to the Departments of Endowments and Charity Affairs, rather than disposing of them independently.
Additionally, the DFRAC team contacted Hassan Zaidi, a renowned Independent journalist from Iran. He confirmed that the video is around six years old and said the incident was a case of mismanagement in the disposal of worn-out religious books, not an anti-Islam campaign or evidence of mosque closures.
Conclusion:
DFRAC’s investigation establishes that the viral claim is false. The circulating video is an old 2020 video from Tangab Dam in Firuzabad, Iran. It depicts the recovery of approximately 50 worn-out copies of the Quran and old prayer books, which had been disposed of following a traditional practice and later washed ashore. The footage has no connection to claims that thousands of Qurans were dumped deliberately or that over 50,000 mosques were shut down in Iran.
