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Christine Lee

Digitally altered image targets senator in fake terror group smear

Altered photos and fabricated quotes have been used to target Senator Mehreen Faruqi. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

What was claimed

A photo shows Senator Mehreen Faruqi wearing a necklace featuring a symbol used by Islamic terrorist groups.

Our verdict

False. The image has been digitally altered.

AAP FACTCHECK - The Australian Greens deputy leader has not been photographed wearing a necklace pendant featuring a symbol used by Islamic terrorist groups, despite claims online.

An image appearing to show Senator Mehreen Faruqi wearing such a necklace has been digitally manipulated.

The claim stems from an X post featuring an image of the Greens politician wearing a necklace bearing the seal of Mohammed.

The seal appears in the flag used by Islamic State and several other groups, including Boko Haram, that are listed as terrorist organisations by the Australian government.

“The Australian Greens should be listed as a domestic terror group,” the caption reads.

A screenshot of an X post.
The image has been altered from a legitimate photo taken in 2023. (AAP/X)

The image, in which Senator Faruqi's face also appears to be enlarged and her lipstick colour enhanced, has been shared on Facebook.

Another X post shared the image with the pendant circled and spliced with another image of a Jihadist flag used by several Islamic extremist groups.

"Hey @AlboMP WTF bruh, this is grounds for dismissal and arrest for supporting a banned terrorist organization," the post reads.

“Where you at @AusFedPolice and @nswpolice."

However, the image is not authentic.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi at a press conference on November 6, 2023.
Photos from the November 2023 press conference show Senator Faruqi was not wearing a pendant. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)

A Google reverse image search reveals the photo was published by The Australian in November 2023 and shows Ms Faruqi was not wearing a pendant.

The original photo showed Senator Faruqi at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra that month following a coordinated walkout.

It was staged to protest the government's response to the Gaza conflict, The Guardian Australia and ABC News reported.

The doctored image featuring the Islamic extremist pendant began to appear in social media posts in March 2026.

A screenshot of a Facebook post.
The image has also been altered to make the senator appear larger, drawing criticism of her diet. (AAP/Facebook)

Elsewhere on social media, the same altered image has been used to criticise the senator's vegetarian diet.

"This is Vegetarian Mehreen Faruqi, she says Australians are unhealthy due to meat consumption," one post reads.

Again, the image has been altered to make Senator Faruqi's face appear larger.

AAP FactCheck has previously debunked social media accounts impersonating the Greens' deputy leader.

AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, BlueSky, TikTok and YouTube.

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