Mumbai: Actress Shafaq Naaz has hit back at trolls questioning her religious identity after she shared pictures of herself celebrating Karwa Chauth.
The actress said that applying sindoor does not change her religion and expressed disappointment over the abuse and disrespect she received in her comment section
She added how some social media users questioned whether she had converted after observing the Hindu festival.
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The actress said, “So, recently I have posted a few pictures of me celebrating Karwa Chauth. I was wearing a red saree, sindoor. Honestly, I felt those were decent pictures and suddenly I am seeing this abuse, trolling and so much disrespect from everyone in my comment section and apparently, if you apply sindoor, your religion gets converted.”
She further said, “So, firstly, let me clarify this one thing. Those who are not aware, let me just give you this information. My husband’s name is Zeeshan. He is Muslim. Okay. And second thing, just because I applied Sindoor I don’t remain a Muslim anymore. Is my religion so halka? Kya religion itna halka hai?”
Shafaq further spoke about India’s cultural diversity, and said, “This is the beauty of India because we have so many cultures and how does celebrating something, some festival, like why would you not celebrate? And I have been doing that.”
Also Read : Watch: Parineeti Chopra celebrates Karwa Chauth with Raghav Chadha at 35,000 feet
The actress also expressed disappointment over trolls targeting her husband and making personal remarks, questioning why he was being dragged into the controversy.
Shafaq said, “But it’s so heartbreaking to see that we have reached a point where we have to respect each other. And where is it written? It is written everywhere. It is also written in the Quran. Pick up any holy book. Everywhere it is written that you will never get anything by disrespecting other people’s religion. And you should never do that.”
Emphasising that religion is a personal matter and a question of individual belief, the actress said, “I believe in that. This is my belief, I am not forcing you to do something. You do whatever you want to do in your life. You can’t tell me what I should do and what I shouldn’t do. I can’t sit here and tell you how much time I am praying, how much I fast, what all things I do.
“Religion is a very personal thing. It’s a belief. I will do whatever I can in my capacity and what I want to do. You should not force and you should not judge. And if you really want to judge, if you don’t like my belief, then don’t follow me. Leave me. I don’t have any problem. I am happy.”
Shafaq further added that criticism from a section of social media users would not stop her from living according to her beliefs.
The actress also spoke about her association with mythological shows and her admiration for different cultures.
She said, “I have done a lot of mytho shows. I have always been very fascinated. I respect every culture, every person. And for me, my religion teaches me to respect, not to disrespect. And it doesn’t teach us that we are very big or they are very small or they are big or we are small. No, we are all equal. And respect is a must. And you should always give respect to everyone.”
Concluding her message, Shafaq made it clear that she would continue celebrating festivals across communities, including Eid, Diwali and Holi.
She said, “So I will do whatever I will. It’s my religion. It’s my belief. My religion is mine. It’s my personal. And I will post pictures on Eid. I will do it on Diwali. I will do it on Holi. I will do it on everything. I will do whatever I like. You cannot come and dictate to me that if that is making you uncomfortable, no problem. You can unfollow me. I don’t have any problem. No issues. I will not stop believing what I believe. So thank you very much. And please stop fighting.”
For the uninitiated, Shafaq had recently shared a series of pictures from her Karwa Chauth celebrations on her social media account. Dressed in a traditional red saree, sindoor and red bangles, the actress was seen holding a sieve, which is traditionally used during the festival. She also shared pictures with her husband, Zeeshan, who joined her in the celebrations.
Alongside the pictures, she wrote, “All dressed up for the man who has seen me at my absolute worst. Happy karva chauth”
Her festive pictures attracted trolling, with a lot many users questioning her decision to celebrate Karwa Chauth despite being Muslim.
On the professional front, Shafaq is known for her performances in television shows such as ‘Mahabharat’, in which she portrayed Kunti, and ‘Chidiya Ghar’, where she played Mayuri. She has also been part of many other television projects.
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