Projected population of Muslims in 2023 to stand at 19.75 crore: Govt in Lok Sabha
New Delhi, Jul 21: The projected population of Muslims in India in 2023 would stand at 19.75 crore, the government has informed the Lok Sabha.
In a written reply to a question by TMC MP Mala Roy in Lok Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani said as per the Census 2011, Muslim population is 17.22 crore, which constitutes 14.2 per cent of the total population of the country.
"As per the report of the Technical Group on Population Projections, July 2020, National Commission on Population, country's projected population in 2023 stands at 138.82 crore. Accordingly, applying the same proportion of 14.2 per cent, as was there in Census 2011, projected population of Muslims in 2023 would stand at 19.75 crore," Irani said.
As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2021-22 conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, literacy rate of Muslims aged seven and above stands at 77.7 per cent and the labour force participation rate for all ages as per usual status stands at 35.1 per cent, she said.
Further, as per Multiple Indicator Survey 2020-21 conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation to collect data on select Sustainable Development Goals indicators, the percentage of Muslim persons reported to have improved source of drinking water stands at 94.9 per cent, and the percentage of Muslim persons reported to have access to improved toilet stands at 97.2 per cent, the minister said.
The percentage of Muslim households which have purchased or constructed a new house or flat for the first time after March 31, 2014 stands at 50.2 per cent, Irani said.
Her response on Thursday came to three questions by Roy, asking whether there is any data on Muslim population as on May 30, 2023 in the country, whether there is any population data of Pasmanda Muslims and the details of their socio-economic status.
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Fact Check: AI-generated photos of Cristiano Ronaldo shared on social media with fake claim
New Delhi (PTI Fact Check): Multiple social media users shared several photos, claiming that they showed star football player Cristiano Ronaldo with his alleged wife Georgina Rodriguez. The users also claimed Ronaldo had converted to Islam and the photos were from their visit to Haram Sharif in Mecca, where they offered namaz. In its investigation, however, the PTI Fact Check Desk found that the photos shared on social media were fake. AI-generated photos were shared as real with a false claim.
Claim
An X (formerly Twitter) user shared on December 21 multiple photos of legendary football player Cristiano Ronaldo along with his alleged wife, Georgina Rodriguez. In the post, which has garnered over 247.5k views so far, the user claimed that the former had accepted Islam and offered namaz with Rodriguez at Haram Sharif in Mecca.
Here's the link, archive link, and screenshot of the post.
Investigation
The Desk ran the viral photos through Google Lens and found that they were shared by several other social media users as well.
Here's the link, archive link, and screenshot of one such Facebook post.
The Desk then ran a customized keyword search on Google, but could not find any authentic report on the viral images or on the claim that Ronaldo had accepted Islam.
In the next part of the investigation, the Desk closely watched the viral images and noticed several discrepancies, which suggested that they may be fake or AI-generated. For instance, the fingers of Ronaldo look disfigured or abnormal, along with blurred faces in the background. Below is a photo highlighting the same.
Taking a cue from this, the Desk ran the combination of photos through True Media, an AI detection tool, which suggested a substantial presence of AI-generated or deepfake content.
Below are the screenshots of the results:
Subsequently, the Desk concluded that the photos of Cristiano Ronaldo along with Georgina Rodriguez shared on social media were fake.
CLAIM
Star football player Cristiano Ronaldo, accepted Islam and offered prayers at Haram Sharif in Mecca along with Georgina Rodriguez.
FACT
AI-generated photos shared on social media falsely claimed that the two offered namaz at Haram Sharif in Mecca. Also, Ronaldo has not converted to Islam.
CONCLUSION
Multiple social media users shared a combination of photos, which showed star football player Cristiano Ronaldo with his alleged wife Georgina Rodriguez. The users claimed that Ronaldo had accepted Islam and the photos were their visit to Haram Sharif in Mecca, where they offered prayers. In its investigation, the Desk found that the photos were AI-generated and the claim of the player accepting Islam was fake.
(This story was originally published by PTI, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective)
