Journalism of Courage
Recently, 16-year-old Nahid Afrin has been issued a fatwa to restrict her from performing onstage. About 40 Muslim clerics from different organisations who issued the fatwa stated that Indian Idol Junior first runner-up performing onstage was against the 'Sharia Laws'. This is not the first time a musician, an actor or a performer of any medium has received a fatwa. From A R Rahman to Shah Rukh Khan, many of our beloved actors have been on the receiving end.
Jimmy Sheirgill, who was recently seen in Happy Bhaag Jaayegi, has been issued a fatwa in 2016 for acting in the film Shorgul. The political drama set against the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots had also been banned in several cities of Uttar Pradesh. The fatwa stated that a seasoned actor like Jimmy has hurt the sentiments of the Muslim community by enacting scenes that will cause unrest in the community through the dialogues and scene depictions.
Music composer AR Rahman was issued a fatwa by a Sunni group, Raza Academy for working with well-known Iranian director Majid Majidi on the film Muhammad: Messenger of God.
Shah Rukh Khan, the Badshah of Bollywood has been issued a fatwa by Markazi Darul Ifta Dargah Al Hazrat in 2013, for hiring a surrogate mother for a child and alleged pre-birth sex determination of the child. SRK has denied the sex determination claims.
Salman Khan had attended a Ganesh puja in 2007 where the aarti was performed by singer Sonu Nigam. This widely publicised event caught the attention of Bareilly-based Daarul-Ifta-Manjar-e-Islam who issued a fatwa against the actor. In 2008, there was another fatwa issued by Dehradun-based Mufti Darul Ifta Salim Ahmad Kasmi after the star unveiled his wax statue at Madame Tussaud's.
Author Taslima Nasreen, who rose to popularity not just for her incredible work but also for the movie adaptation of her 1993 novel titled Lajja, was issued a fatwa by a Uttar Pradesh cleric, Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan who called her works anti-Islam.
