A video clip from CNN showing a large gathering of Muslim women in Tehran, Iran, holding infants dressed in green and white with headbands bearing the name “Ali Asghar” is being falsely shared with the claim that these mothers are “offering their babies as martyrs” and raising them as “terrorists.” This claim is entirely baseless and misleading. However, these claims distort the actual purpose of the event shown in the video.
Users @EYakoby and @CollinRugg shared a video claiming that hundreds of women in Tehran, Iran, dressed their babies as martyrs and held them up in the air as a symbolic act of offering them for martyrdom — portraying it as a deeply rooted concept in the Islamic Republic.
Truth Headline: CNN Video Misrepresented — Ceremony Honors Historical Infant Martyr, Not Terrorism
As this post went viral, it drew our attention. The D Intent Data Team started the investigation immediately. We conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens, did some frame-by-frame analysis. This led us to the original CNN YouTube upload of the video, which provided full context. Further verification from reliable news sources like IMNA and ABNA24 clarified the truth. The video actually shows the Hosseini Infancy Conference, held annually on the first Friday of Muharram in Iran and many other countries. This Shia Muslim event honors Ali al-Asghar ibn Husayn, the infant son of Husayn ibn Ali, who was killed in the Battle of Karbala. Mothers dress their babies in symbolic green and white attire with headbands bearing Ali Asghar’s name—not to promote martyrdom or terrorism, but to commemorate his innocence and sacrifice as the youngest martyr in Islamic history.
There is no evidence to support the narrative that these mothers are raising their babies as terrorists or offering them for martyrdom. The event is religious, symbolic, and peaceful in nature.
3589
— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) June 29, 2025
ANALYSIS: Distorted
FACT: A video clip from CNN showing a large gathering of Muslim women carrying infants dressed in green and white attire with headbands bearing the name of Ali Asghar in Perso-Arabic script is being circulated with the claim that hundreds of Muslim(1/4) pic.twitter.com/B5QMZZ9JA7
Intent:
Influencers are circulating videos from the Hosseini Infants Ceremony with deliberately misleading captions to promote a false, religion-based narrative.
Conclusion:
Claim: Muslim mothers in Iran are offering their babies as martyrs and dressing them as terrorists.
Fact: The video shows a peaceful religious event—the Hosseini Infancy Conference—honoring a historical infant martyr, Ali Asghar. No babies are being offered as martyrs or dressed as terrorists.
Related Article: Fact Check: Viral CCTV Video of Brutal Attack Falsely Claimed to Be From India Is Actually From Brazil
