AI image of Shabana Mahmood wearing keffiyeh headscarf…
An AI-generated image of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood wearing a keffiyeh has circulated online, featuring a watermark identifying it as AI-created content
- Incident date
- Sep 2026
- Target
- Shabana Mahmood
In September 2026, social media posts began circulating an AI-generated image depicting Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood wearing a keffiyeh as a hijab. The fabricated image also incorrectly attributed a specific quote about her religious beliefs to the politician.
What happened
The manipulated image was created by modifying a genuine photograph of Ms. Mahmood originally taken by an Associated Press photographer on 10 February as she left 10 Downing Street. In the authentic source photo, she is not wearing a head covering or the green jacket that appears in the AI-generated version. The edited image features a SynthID watermark, which indicates that it was generated using OpenAI tools, such as ChatGPT, the OpenAI API, or Codex.
Beyond the visual manipulation, the posts shared on Facebook included text attributing the quote “I put Islam first in everything I do” to the Home Secretary. While Ms. Mahmood has discussed her faith publicly, there is no evidence that she ever said those exact words. In a 2024 interview, she stated that her faith is "the absolute driver of everything that I do," and separately told the Times that her faith is "the core of who I am." The circulation of this AI-generated content serves as a reminder of the importance of verifying the authenticity of images and the credibility of sources before sharing them online.