Rihanna premiered her massive Savage X Fenty fashion show last week, inviting musicians like Rico Nasty, Lizzo, Willow Smith, and many more. Rihanna was praised by many for the show’s inclusivity, as she invited models of all sizes and gender identities. However, some fans were not so happy about some aspects of the performance. A handful of Rihanna’s Muslim fans voiced their anger over a certain song played during the catwalk.
Rihanna was accused of culturally appropriating a cornerstone of Islam after using a song called “Doom” during her show. The song featured a club-ready beat over a remixed vocal sample of a Hadith, or a reading of sacred texts.
Pointing out the use of the song on Twitter one fan said “there’s really no way we can let this slide.”
there’s really no way we can let this slide like a straight up HADITH???? rihanna baby you screwed up HARD pic.twitter.com/gxUOvtHGn5
— N⁷₁₁₇ ♡’s yami (@TAEHYUNGGOODBOI) October 4, 2020
Another fan called out the singer, saying she should “know better.”
i feel like islamaphobia is so normalised to the point where people are calling us dramatic for being mad when our religion gets disrespected? hadith are sacred words of the prophet, they’re used to guide muslims & are second to only the Quran. rihanna should know better.
— HSD (@hsdialy) October 4, 2020
Others were dissapointed that Rihanna was using their religion as “an aesthetic.”
Rihanna can fu*k right off, using Islamic Hadiths which we regard as holy as a background to their music video, does my religion look like an aesthetic to you. Why’s no one speaking about this?
— Yahya (@CFCYahya) October 4, 2020
Use of sacred religious texts (Hadith) in music is more than mere Islamophobia, but immensely disrespectful and dismissive.
Many things are legally permissible. But what is 'legal' should take the community's interests and views into consideration.
— Khaled Beydoun (@KhaledBeydoun) October 5, 2020
i can’t let Rihanna have a pass w appropriating Islam like for her first show the models wore a scarf around their heads and it looked like HIJAB and her second show she used a track that remixed a HADITH….why is no one talking about this, my religion is not y’all’s aesthetic
— . (@reversecocunut) October 4, 2020
After seeing the outrage that ensued, the song’s producer Coucou Chloe apologized for using the vocal sample, saying they take “full responsibility” for failing to research the meaning. Chloe continued to say that they’re working to have the song removed from all streaming platforms amid the controversy.
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
Read fans react to Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show above.
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