Support Swells for Nahid Afrin After Fatwa Says She Can't Sing in Public

Shonipur (Assam): Days after a Muslim girl was trolled on social media for singing Hindu devotional songs in a Kannada show, a fatwa has been issued ‘barring’ a 15-year-old girl from singing in public.

Citing Sharia laws, 46 Muslim clerics have issued a fatwa against up-and-coming singer Nahid Afrin asking her to stop performing in public. Afrin was the runner-up in the 2015 season of a singing reality TV show. She has also lent her voice to a song in Sonakshi Sinha-starrer Akira.

Afrin has reportedly sung songs denouncing the Islamic State terror group and Assam Police are investigating whether the fatwa was in reaction to it.

Following the intervention of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, the clerics said the fatwa wasn’t against Afrin, but against loud music near religious places.

Taking to Twitter, Sonowal wrote: Freedom of artists are essence of democracy. Spoke to Nahid and reiterated our Govt's commitment to provide safety and security to artists.

Afrin said she was shocked to learn of the fatwa. "My singing is a gift of God and I believe it must be properly utilised.... not doing so is ignoring God. I was shocked and broken from inside at first, but many Muslim singers gave me inspiration to not quit music, will never do so," she told ANI.

Talking to CNN-News18, Afrin said: "10 per cent people may be against me but I am happy with the 90 per cent standing with me. I want to put an end to all this in the name of religion....people who have bright future should be encouraged. A great thanks to all my well wishers for supporting me throughout my journey....I promise I will continue to sing till my last breath."

Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen and Vishal Dadlani have come out in support of Afrin.