Outrage from the Muslim community prompted Rihanna to issue an apology Tuesday, Los Angeles Times reports. The designer’s 2020 Savage X Fenty fashion show featured lingerie models dancing to a song that used a sacred recitation of Islam’s hadith.
The song “Doom,” by producer Coucou Chloe, includes a hadith narration about judgement day, CNN reports. The hadith is extremely sacred and comes second only to the Quran.
“For us Muslims, Ahadeeth are a sacred scripture and fundamental part of our religion,” designer Farrukh Ershad said, according to CNN.
“To see a Hadith used in this type of context both by the artist, and by Rihanna’s Fenty team was distasteful and disrespectful,” the CEO of an Eastern and Islamic-inspired fashion brand, 5ive Pillars, added.
Rihanna posted her apology via Instagram story, which was later released on Savage X Fenty’s official Instagram, Los Angeles Times reports. Rihanna called the move an ‘honest, yet careless’ mistake.
“I’d like to thank the Muslim community for pointing out a huge oversight that was unintentionally offensive in our savage x fenty show,” Rihanna wrote. “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!”
According to Middle East Eye, Rihanna has a has a ‘mixed record’ when it comes to interactions with the Muslim community.
While Savage X Fenty has featured hijab-wearing models to promote products like makeup and sunglasses, the brand has also been accused of cultural appropriation: model Bella Hadid covered her hair in a previous Fenty show that was likened to hijab by viewers.
The singer was also asked to leave Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in 2013 for taking ‘inappropriate’ photos, Middle East Eye reports.
“She was asked to leave before entering the actual mosque (she was in the courtyard taking pictures), after taking some photos that did not fit within the rules and regulations set out to preserve the sacredness of the centre,” the mosque said in a statement, according to Middle East Eye.
One Twitter user, @samanthaswft, commented on the troubling pattern, saying the latest incident ‘isn’t even Rihanna’s first time.’
“I’M DISGUSTED,” the tweet reads.
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