Singer and business mogul Rihanna, who recently came under fire for using song that contains a narration of the Islamic Hadith during her fashion show, has issued an apology to the Muslim community.
Rihanna and her brand drew severe criticism for using Coucou Chloe's track titled 'Doom', which contained a remix of a hadith narration. Offended fans had taken to Twitter to express their disappointment for the song's use during the Savage x Fenty show.
Taking cognizance of the matter, Rihanna apologized for using the controversial song at her latest fashion show. On Tuesday, Rihanna addressed the backlash with an apology shared on her brand Fenty Beauty's Instagram Story. "I'd like to thank the Muslim community for pointing out a huge oversight that was unintentionally offensive in our Savage x Fenty show," she wrote at the beginning of the apology.
Rihanna added that the use of the song was "irresponsible" and an "honest, yet careless mistake." She also said that they will ensure that something like doesn't happen in the future.
"I would more importantly like to apologize to you for this honest, yet careless mistake. We understand that we have hurt many of our Muslim brothers and sisters, and I'm incredibly disheartened by this! I do not play with any kind of disrespect toward God or any religion and therefore the use of the song in our project was completely irresponsible! Moving forward we will make sure nothing like this ever happens again. Thank you for your forgiveness and understanding, Rih," she wrote in the story.
Prior to Rihanna's apology, her Fenty Beauty Instagram account had addressed the backlash. The company issued a statement, adding that the song's vocal tracks are being replaced and the fashion show is being edited.
"We truly apologize for the song that appeared in the Savage x Fenty show. We shouldn't have used it. The song's vocal tracks are being replaced and the show is being edited. We have nothing but the utmost respect and love for the Muslim community. All Fenty brands have been founded on the notion of inclusivity and respect to all, and this was an unfortunate mistake on our part. We will be vigilant going forward to ensure this is never repeated," the statement read.
On October 2, Rihanna's second show for her lingerie brand debuted on Amazon Prime Video. While the much-anticipated show was met with praise from some, not all were pleased with the star's presentation because of the song's use. Rihanna faced severe backlash after the fashion show, which took place over the weekend, with many Internet users calling out the star for disrespecting the values of Islam by using 'Doom' which has versus of the Hadith mixed into the beat.
The song was created by a London-based producer named Coucou Chloe more than two years ago. The track, which is at the center of the controversy, has Islamic vocal samples from Hadith which apparently revolves around the end of times and the judgment day.
For the unversed, Hadith is a collection of traditions containing sayings of the prophet Muhammad with accounts of his daily practice (the Sunna). It establishes the major source of guidance for Muslims apart from the Quran and hence, is considered of utmost importance in their life.
However, this is not the first time that Rihanna has been accused of insensitivity towards Islam. In 2013, the singer was asked to leave a mosque in Abu Dhabi after posing for inappropriate pictures. According to BBC, several others from the fashion industry have also been accused of offending Islam before. In August, rapper Kanye West drew criticism for naming his Yeezy Boost trainers Israfil and Asriel - after two Islamic angels. An online shopping brand Shein had issued an apology in July for advertising Muslim prayer mats as frilled Greek carpets.
