Tradition tells us of an incident in which a particular tribe in Arabia, during the Prophet's lifetime, was reported to have engaged in rebellious activities and even had abandoned Islam. The Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace, is said to have sent individuals there to investigate this claim, and, having heard the Adhaan (prayer call) emanating from their location, became satisfied that the report of their rebellion was actually false.
Throughout history, both ancient and contemporary, conflicts have been started or at least continued through the dissemination of reports, images and ideas that are without foundation. Perceptions are formed, beliefs are entrenched, followed up by actions that are destructive at one level or another. While the dangers of this are well known to politicians and indeed to students of political science, this also has implications on areas of faith!
The Deep Fake
The term Deep Fake references photographic, video and other technological tools that can, over the course of time, trial and error, create images that are convincing. All indicators of the false nature of the image are carefully removed. Thus, the viewer believes the fake video is real. In the religious realm, an example of A Deep Fake creation is that of the notion called The Islamic Dilemma. The notion, widely spread in times of late by Christian apologists online, asserts that the Qur'an states positive attributes regarding the Bible, yet since the Bible and Qur'an have areas of contradiction, the Qur'an must be false, regardless or not if the Bible is itself truly the victim of incorrect attributions (ft.1).
This notion is easily refuted and has been explained countless times now by many Muslim figures (ft.2), yet it continues to be used in polemics. It is my belief that even the majority of those who use this line of argument know that they are actually being dishonest, yet they will make these claims with the hope of stunting the growth of Islam.
Religion is admittedly a sensitive subject, open to interpretation that can reflect genuine belief (as opposed to deliberate distortion of facts), however I find it very distasteful that people lie about religion. When speaking on religions other than my own, I strive to represent their views correctly (even if I am refuting those views) and have taken the time to study those claims. Thus, I won't really speak on religions about which I am ignorant. Unfortunately, there are others who won't adhere to that principle.
Easy methods of navigating religious deep fakes
The most important method is by obtaining a physical copy of the primary scripture of that religion, preferably enhanced with a translation and commentary by recognized authorities of that faith. A physical book is emphasized because online versions can be subjected to more distortion. Physical texts also are superior in terms of actual cognitive understanding of what is being read. Interact with scholars or preachers of that faith, those who would be able to answer your questions.
Christian apologists these days have been advocating that Christians NOT read the English translations of the Qur'an, claiming that Muslim translators are deliberately attempting to make the Qur'an look nice. Rather, they encourage their folks to read Qur'an translations as penned by themselves. I have read atleast two English translations of the Qur'an by Christian opponents and saw the outright false explanations and translations.
Deep Fakes with political implications
In recent weeks, I have begun to pay closer attention to the rise of AI (Artificial intelligence), to produce videos and compositions using high-level English. It has been to the point that I have to repeatedly look at a video to determine if the depiction was real or actually generated by AI technology.
In addition to AI generated content, authentic images and videos are distributed widely, but devoid of the context, generating a false image. Take for example the recent video of a reported wedding of Fatemah, daughter of Iranian government advisor Ali Shamkhani. Her wedding dress has more of a Western style, even a bit revealing. Her father is with her, arm-in-arm. This has been widely seen as hypocrisy, in light of the Iranian government presenting itself as a defender of Islamic morality and dress code.
Yet, the context is that other than himself and the groom, no other (strange) men were present. All the other attendees were women. The Islamic codes are sensible guidelines. In public there is a dress code, particularly when interacting with the opposite sex, but in private, with one's family, a woman is free to have more relaxed dress. Thus, an occasion in which her father and her husband are the only males present makes it perfectly acceptable to dress in such a fashion.(ft.3)
The political deep fakes are more difficult to detect because there are high stakes involved, usually state actors who wish to stir up dissent to achieve particular ends and will thus use governmental resources to make the picture more murky. Books can also present false information, and, as we know, history itself is usually written by the victors.
Thus, navigating political deep fakes really means paying attention, having as much education and life experiences as possible. Travel outside one's comfort zones when possible. Talk with people. Get real life accounts.
Let us be a people blessed with the abilities to navigate properly the era of deep fakes.
Footnotes
(1) The issue of the Quranic treatment of the Bible is addressed in our article A deep dive into false ideas regarding Islam: with a focus on the Abrahamic ties. Click here for the article
(2) We have briefly addressed the so called Islamic dilemma in the video "The Islamic dilemma: fact or fiction" Click here for videoi
(3) The entire controversy, seemingly started by Israeli media sources, shows how Muslims are depicted as rigid and unreasonable, unable to live normal lives. Islam has no problem with its followers having normal lives. We can be happy (and sad) just as others are. The assumption that is presented is that any who goes against rigid behavior is in fact disassociating themselves from Islamic values, yet the truth of the matter is that Islamic guidelines were NOT violated by the bridal dress when in a function in which her family (husband and father, the only men) was present. It is actually ironic that Iran is displayed as rigid when in reality their dress codes are actually very relaxed.
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