Rihanna
Rihanna has apologised after using a controversial song at her latest Savage X Fenty fashion show.
She received a backlash online for using the song ‘Doom’ by artiste Coucou Chloe, which includes a Muslim text known as a Hadith.
Rihanna says the use of the song was “irresponsible” and an “honest, yet careless mistake.”
A Hadith is part of a collection of texts believed to be the spoken words of the Prophet Muhammad.
After the holy book (Koran), the Hadiths are seen as some of the most important religious texts to Muslims.
The Arabic verse used in the song is part of a Hadith about judgement day.
Coucou Chloe has apologised, saying she wasn’t aware that the song contained the Islamic verses.
Rihanna’s fashion and beauty brand Fenty has been praised for its commitment to diversity in the past.
But some Muslim supporters questioned the use of the song when the lingerie show streamed on Amazon Prime on October 2.
Hodhen Liaden, 26, is a beauty blogger who is a fan of Rihanna and Fenty but felt it was a misstep to include the song in the show.
She says it’s “refreshing” to see Rihanna’s apology but thinks big brands “need more Muslim people in these industries that can pick up on things like this”.
“Islam is not an aesthetic, religion is not an aesthetic,” Hodhen tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.
“Do you actually celebrate people like me or does it just look good for you?”
Hodhen has bought Fenty products before but says this incident might change her mind now.
She might not even use the free products the brand sent her to promote online.
“I don’t think I’ll be buying products or even promoting it on my Instagram. I literally have a box of Fenty products I’ve been sent to create content with and I don’t know how I feel about that.”
BBC