On Tuesday morning, Rihanna issued a public apology after she was criticized for using audio from a sacred Islamic text in her highly anticipated Amazon Prime exclusive, Savage Fenty Show Vol. 2. The singer, actress and businesswoman took to Instagram stories to address the “completely irresponsible” use of the song that sampled readings of hadith, which are words from the prophet Muhammad, while her models danced on stage.
The song “Doom” was released in 2017 by London-based producer Coucou Chloe and incorporated a remixed narration about the end of times as written in the hadith, which comes only second to the Quran in terms of importance for the Islamic faith. Supporters and critics of Rihanna immediately swarmed Twitter to not only demand an apology, but to also explain to the artist why the “careless mistake” should be taken more seriously.
I hope you will fall hard if you have a hand in what happened!
I’m a Muslim, and I would probably advise it if it was the first time, but this is the second time for you, girl, you should check yourself before we teach you how to do it! This is a red line and you crossed.— ʳᵃʸ⁷°•ᵐᵃʳ`ʳᵃⁿ.ᴮᴱ◡̈∞ (@Ranamulla2) October 5, 2020
Not trying to be disrespectful here but in the name of the muslim community i think you owe us some excuses you used a remix of a hadith in your show and its very disrepectful you should apologize for this#canceldoomfromsavagexfenty
— jannat issa (@jannat_omar) October 6, 2020
Not trying to be disrespectful here but in the name of the muslim community i think you owe us some excuses you used a remix of a hadith in your show and its very disrepectful you should apologize for this#canceldoomfromsavagexfenty
— jannat issa (@jannat_omar) October 6, 2020
For years, Rihanna and her entire Fenty team has been lauded for the lingerie line’s inclusivity in race, gender, and body size. This is the first time the singer has had to make an apology regarding a cultural mishap, since she is usually praised for her advocacy of diversity.
okay the fact that rihanna’s show was supposed to be a keystone for “inclusion” while she completely alienated the Muslim community by disrespecting a Hadith recitation is the perfect showcase of how fashion brands & the media have never considered us as a part of their audience
— myesha thee stallion (@myeshachou) October 5, 2020
Coucou Chloe released an apology via twitter on Monday morning after the internet accused both artists of disrespecting the religion of Islam and disappointing many of its believers. Chloe promised to work “urgently” in the removal of the song from all streaming platforms.
I take full responsibility for the fact I did not research these words properly and want to thank those of you who have taken the time to explain this to me. We have been in the process of having the song urgently removed from all streaming platforms. 2/2
— COUCOU CHLOE (@coucou_chloe) October 5, 2020
While Rihanna and her team acted diligently in their response, the overarching issues surrounding cultural insensitivity within the music and fashion industries remain prevalent. Still, Rihanna’s quick apology resonated and illustrated that how celebrities react to controversy is sometimes just as important, if not more, than the content of the controversy itself.
