Rihanna apologizes for Islamic text at her Savage X Fenty show
Rihanna has apologized after facing backlash for using sacred Islamic text during her Savage X Fenty Vol. 2 fashion show.
During last week's premiere on Amazon Prime Video, models danced to a song titled "Doom" by London-based producer and vocalist Coucou Chloe and many fans have taken to social media to point out that the music includes words from Islamic text.
The 2017 song features a Hadith from Prophet Muhammad's sayings and actions.
"If you guys don't know much about Islam(that is completely fine!!), a hadith is the words/ advice that our Prophet Mohammad(SAV) spoke and gave to people to educate them," @emmasroadrage tweeted. "It is very disrespectful to use it in a video of people dancing and even more in a lingerie show."
Rihanna took to Instagram to address the issue directly.
"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 on in a post Tuesday. "I would more importantly like to apologize to you for this honest, yet careless mistake."
She went on, "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 this song in our project was completely irresponsible. Moving forward we will make sure nothing like this ever happens again."
Chloe also responded to the backlash in a post by admitting she was "not aware" that the samples she found online used text from the Hadith. In another post, she took "full responsibility" for not "properly" researching the words to the song, which she is now "urgently" working to remove from all streaming platforms.
While some fans thanked Chloe for her apology, others questioned its authenticity. "When you're making a song and mixing it or whatever you're doing, you always have to check where it comes from," said one Instagram user. "The disrespect is real."
Another commenter said, "Thank you for apologizing, but it was released in 2017 and u used it again in 2018... the backlash is just more heavier now because rihanna is involved. Please don’t act like you didn’t know. the best step forward is to remove the song on all platforms which you should start doing ASAP."
Aside from the backlash, this year's show was celebrated for its inclusivity and diversity. Models of all different races, ages and body types were spotted throughout the show.
There were also appearances from Lizzo, Paris Hilton, Willow Smith, Demi Moore and several other notables.
"We always want to include women who haven't felt sexy by society's terms and expectations,” Rihanna told Vogue. "We want them to feel like this is their safe space and hub, that we get it, and are one with them."
She continued, "It's always about being inclusive. [The casting] is about who gives me what I want to feel. I don't care about size, shape, or color; I embrace all types of women."
