A video of people absorbing the sight of elaborate fireworks was viral on social media, with some claiming that it showed Diwali being celebrated in Dubai while others said it showed Muslims in Saudi Arabia enjoying Diwali with crackers. The video was shared by many with communal undertones, suggesting that Muslims in Islamic nations did not oppose bursting firecrackers, but those in India were crying hoarse about pollution.
Air quality in Delhi and several other parts of the country deteriorated to hazardous degrees, with the national capital’s readings hitting the worst levels amid the wide use of firecrackers for Diwali, resulting in a thick belt of polluted air.
On October 21, Hindutva activist and national president of Bhagwa Kranti Sena ‘Sadhvi’ Prachi shared the video on X, mocking Indians complaining about pollution due to Diwali crackers. This was in response to a post by journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani on the air pollution in Delhi, citing a news report. (Archive)
ओरिजिनल वाले दिवाली का आनंद ले रहे हैं 🧨
जबकि Converted वालों को सांस की समस्या है 🤡 https://t.co/qCo0Na7aeb pic.twitter.com/YCm9QPss4V
— Sadhvi Prachi (@Sadhvi_prachi) October 21, 2025
Instagram user Vishnu Surendran shared the video on October 20, claiming the video showed “Diwali in Dubai.”
View this post on Instagram
The post amassed around 2.9 million views.
Another X user, Vaishali Mishra (@1VaishaliMishra), also shared the video and claimed it showed a glimpse of Diwali in Saudi Arabia. “Real Muslims are bursting firecrackers with great enthusiasm, while the illegitimate offspring born from their own seeds are whining about Diwali firecrackers in India,” she wrote. (Archive)
सऊदी अरब में दीपावली
असली वाले मुसलमान धूमधाम से पटाखे फोड़ रहे हैं और उन्हीं के बीज से उत्पन्न नाजायज औलादे भारत में दीपावली के पटाखे से बिलबिला रहे हैं। pic.twitter.com/wrqtWFSsPO— Vaishali Mishra (@1VaishaliMishra) October 20, 2025
At the time of writing this, the post had nearly half a million views.
Several other social media users made similar claims.
Fact Check
A reverse image search of keyframes led us to a YouTube video uploaded on December 2, 2024, titled “UAE National Day. UAE celebrates its National Day on December 2 every year.
To verify whether the footage was filmed in the UAE or Saudi Arabia, we closely examined the video. We noticed several golden falcon light installations in the video, a symbol associated with the UAE.
Additionally, a street sign reading “Corniche Street” was also visible in the footage.
To corroborate our findings, we compared the background of the viral clip with multiple videos of Corniche Street and observed that the street is adorned with distinctive table-top trees, which perfectly match those seen in the viral footage.
Further verification led us to another YouTube video uploaded on December 3, 2024, titled “52 Years National Day UAE, Abu Dhabi.” The video features several identical elements, including the golden falcon light installations and the table-top trees. It also had light installations featuring the number 52 for the 52nd year of the UAE National Day celebrations. The video also had the signage for the Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street.
Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street intersects with Corniche Street. The map below highlights the two streets and their intersection points. Corniche Street, located in Abu Dhabi, UAE, is a prominent site for National Day festivities, famous for its elaborate lighting and grand fireworks displays.
To sum up, claims that the viral video shows Saudi Arabia and Dubai celebrating Diwali with fireworks are false and misleading. The video is originally from Abu Dhabi, UAE, and shows National Day celebrations.
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