Priyanka Chopra's controversial remarks about Islam draws public outrage

Actor's remarks about her father 'singing in a mosque' drew flak by many on social media

Priyanka Chopra is quite accustomed to making headlines – many times, for all the wrong reasons. The celebrated Bollywood star, who has made a name for herself in Hollywood too, was recently in the news for hosting the virtual ceremony announcing this year’s Oscar nominations alongside husband Nick Jonas. This week, though, she is in the news for a statement she recently made about growing up in a secular household.

Here's what happened. Last week, it was revealed that Chopra is the next guest on Oprah Winfrey's new talk show. Since then, several clips from the tete-a-tete have gone viral, causing a furor on social media. Herein, the Quantico star can be seen speaking about her secular upbringing in India and her religious views.

Chopra started off by describing how she had been influenced by different religions throughout her life, from Christianity to Islam to, of course, Hinduism. When questioned about her spiritual journey, she said, “With the number of religions that we have in India… I grew up in a convent school, hence was aware of Christianity. My dad used to sing in a mosque and that made me well aware about Islam. Being a Hindu and coming from a Hindu family, I adapted the rituals and teachings of Hinduism. So as far as spirituality is concerned, it’s part of my country and I cannot ignore it.”

The starlet added how her late father educated her about all faiths. "I am a Hindu. I pray and have a temple in my home. I do it as often as I can. But truly, to me, I am a believer that a higher power does exist and I like to have faith in that,” she added.

Post her statement though, many took to Twitter to point out how no one is allowed to 'sing in a mosque.' One user said, “Old saying: little knowledge is a dangerous thing. She could have been better off talking about things she knows. In mosques, people pray and leave or attend the Friday sermon but nobody ever sings. Or are you confusing a dargah with a mosque?”

Old saying, little knowledge is a dangerous thing. She could have been better off talking about things she know.
In Mosque people pray and leave or attend the Friday sermon but nobody ever sings in mosque or are you confusing dargah with mosque? Matlab kuch bhi. https://t.co/BzAFatRTxO

— Manan (@wanimanan) March 21, 2021

Another fan added. “Every day, Priyanka Chopra just becomes more and more unlikeable. I don't mind what she said but still, very unlikeable.”

Everyday she just becomes more and more unlikeable i dont mind what she said but still v unlikeable lol https://t.co/0TfLCcCx0m

— Mo (@__xotw0d) March 20, 2021

One said, “I will pay any amount in the world to never hear from this woman ever again!"

Another shared, "Sing in a mosque? Ma'am, you lived in a country with one of the largest Islamic populations…"

Other than the tweets, there have been many memes about the same. While the trolling continued, some defended the actor by saying how she could be talking about a dargah, not a mosque. "It could be qawwali or ghazals, which are commonly sung in India at mosques," a user penned.

It could be Qawalli or Ghazals which are common in India to be sang in the mosque.

— Tea Rex☕️ (@jasilasyed) March 20, 2021

"I would like to express that I know that her father was very religiously accepting and from what I hear, a good man. However, my tweet was with regards to her saying that she was ‘aware of Islam.’ Definitely not trying to defend her because I find her problematic. But, in this case, she was speaking to Oprah, so I think simplifying it to ‘singing’ was the best way to explain it," they continued.

I would like to express that I know that her father was very religiously accepting and from what I hear a good man. However my tweet was with regards to her saying that she was “aware of Islam”. So can you stand Get tf out of my mentions

— ‏قیس (@QAYS_B) March 20, 2021

“Regardless, Chopra’s ignorant remark about Islam and mosques would pose a question towards its sanctity. So, the next time you go on to make remarks about a religion you know not much about, it's better to educate yourself first. Or better yet, refrain from commenting altogether.”

Earlier, while speaking on BBC Asian Network's Beyond Bollywood podcast, Chopra had addressed the criticism she receives from the brown community. "I do notice a sense of protectiveness from a lot of people but also a sense of cynicism from a lot of people and a sense of negativity from a lot of people. Picking on me for no reason,” she had confessed. “Why is it that you get so much negativity from your own community? Very few brown people are in the entertainment business; you can count us on your fingers. We're trying to create more opportunities for people like us so why is there so much negativity?”

"Very few brown people are in the entertainment business, you can count us on your fingers. We're trying to create more opportunities for people like us so why is there so much negativity for us? When I started working in Hollywood I realised it`s not normal to people`s consciousness that a leading man or woman can be Indian in a mainstream Hollywood show.' I've started noticing the difference between fans who know me and are protective of me and they are the wind beneath my wings. I also feel disheartened and discouraged by the other side," she had added.

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