Rihanna Issues Heartfelt Apology To Muslim Fans Over Using A Song That Included Sacred Islamic Verses In Savage X Fenty Vol. 2 Show
Rihanna has issued an apology to the Muslim community for using a song that contained sacred Islamic verses during Savage x Fenty Vol. 2. Taking to her Instagram on Tuesday (October 6), the Barbadian multihyphenate penned a lengthy message to express her sincerest regrets on the matter.
“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. “I would more importantly like to apologize to you for this honest, yet careless mistake. We understand that we have hurt many of Muslim brothers and sisters, and I’m incredibly disheartened by this!”
She continued, “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.”
The Barbadian multihyphenate premiered her second lingerie fashion show on Amazon Prime last Friday (October 2). While the show was widely praised for its diversity and inclusivity, one segment of the hour-long show drew widespread criticism from the Muslim community.
There was a part of the show where models performed on a runway while a song titled, “Doom” played before Rico Nasty was introduced. Originally released in 2017, the track features a remix of an Islamic Hadith, which is a written “record of the sayings or actions of the Prophet Muhammad,” according to CNN, and second only to the authority of Quran. The outlet further reported that the text references the end of times and judgement.
The song’s producer, Coucou Chloe, also apologized for using the vocal sample on Twitter. The London-based singer took “full responsibility” for failing to fully research the sample in question before using it. Chloe added that she is working on getting the song removed from all streaming platforms.
Rihanna has also since responded to another fan in a direct message on Instagram confirming that the song will be pulled. She clarified that she was unaware of the vocal sample in “Doom” as well. Nonetheless, while unintentional, Rihanna acknowledged the hurt that the Muslim community is feeling.
“It’s been brought to our attention and we’re taking it out! I obviously had no clue! I just hope people don’t think I did this on purpose or to be offensive or anything like that!” she wrote. “Cause you know I would never!! So I’m editing out, but of course you can’t take it back ya know?! I just feel bad that I hurt people. Even though that was never my intention, the Muslim community is hurt by me right now, so that’s the sad part.”
Read Rihanna’s full apology below:
