Claim: A video shows the New Zealand government’s anthem featuring the 99 names of God which was performed at the Abdala church.
Fact: The claim is false. The video is from a concert held in May 2011, featuring a performance by the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Choir at the Hagia Irene Museum in Istanbul, Turkey.
Social media users have shared a video (archive) which features an anthem containing the 99 names of Allah., The video was shared with the caption: “نیوزی لینڈ کی حکومت نے ایک “ترانہ” بنایا جسے موسیقی پر سیٹ کیا گیا اور ابدالا چرچ میں ہزاروں لوگوں کے سامنے گایا گیا۔ اس میں “اللہ” کے 99 خاص نام ہیں۔ میٹھی آواز میں یہ نام سن کر آنسو آجاتے ہیں… سپر نیوزی لینڈ گورنمنٹ…..”
[Translation: The New Zealand government created an “anthem” set to music, which was performed in front of thousands at the Abdala Church. It includes the 99 special names of “Allah.” Hearing these names in a sweet voice brings tears to the eyes… Superb, New Zealand government…]
New Zealand’s inclusive policies
New Zealand is known for its inclusive policies, particularly in terms of religious and cultural diversity. The country officially recognises diverse faiths and has taken steps to foster interfaith harmony. Following the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, the government emphasised unity, with then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern demonstrating solidarity with the Muslim community.
New Zealand has also implemented policies to support minority groups and promote inclusivity in public spaces. The claim we are fact-checking likely surfaced in light of this narrative.
Fact or Fiction?
We conducted a keyword search to check whether the New Zealand government had created such an anthem, but did not find any relevant results.
We then reverse-searched keyframes from the video and found that it was first shared online on 29 May 2011 by TRT, a Turkish radio and television broadcaster. The video was titled, “Saraybosna Fatih Sultan Mehmet Korosu Konseri” [Sarajevo Fatih Sultan Mehmet Choir Concert].
The video featured the same logo seen in the viral clip and is a broadcast of a concert held at the Hagia Irene Museum [St. Irene Church] in Istanbul, Turkey. The segment used in the viral video begins at 5:03, at which point the auditorium lights turn red.
The segment is identical to the part included in the viral video and concludes at 8:26, when the auditorium lights turn green and the audience breaks into applause.
We also searched for news reports about the event and found one by Yeni Asya, a Turkish newspaper that focuses on political, social, and economic issues. According to our translation of the report, it stated that the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Choir is composed of children from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s three ethnic groups—Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs. Invited as a special guest by TRT’s music channel TRT Müzik, the choir traveled to Istanbul and performed at the Hagia Irene Museum on 29 May. Singing in multiple languages, including Turkish, Bosnian, Urdu, and Persian, they deeply moved listeners, with many admitting they were brought to tears, the report added.
Former Turkish President Abdullah Gül also posted images from the event on his blog. The image description stated that on 29 May 2011, Gül and his wife, Hayrünnisa Gül, visited Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia and Hagia Irene. According to the blog post, the former Turkish President praised the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Choir after the performance.
Therefore, Soch Fact Check concludes that the viral video is unrelated to New Zealand. It is actually from a concert by the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Choir in Turkey.
Virality
The claim was shared here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook. Archived here, here, here, here, and here.
On X, it was shared here (archive) and here (archive).
Conclusion: The video does not show an anthem created by the New Zealand government, featuring the 99 names of God. It actually shows a concert held on 29 May 2011, at the Hagia Irene Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, featuring the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Choir.
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Background image in cover photo: SARAYBOSNA FATİH SULTAN MEHMET KOROSU/TRT
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