Rihanna Apologizes for Using Song with Sacred Islamic Verses in Savage X Fenty Vol. 2 Fashion Show
Rihanna has apologized after receiving backlash for using a song that includes sacred Islamic scripture during her Savage X Fenty Vol. 2 lingerie fashion show, which was released on Prime Video last week.
Models danced to "Doom" by London-based producer Coucou Chloe during one segment of the show, and fans were quick to call attention to the fact that the 2017 song features a remix of a Hadith narration.
"There's really no way we can let this slide," one person wrote on Twitter alongside a screen recording of the dance number. "This makes me sick," a second social media user replied.
In the Islamic faith, the Hadith is a sacred scripture of the sayings and traditions of the Prophet Mohammed. It “comes secondary only to the Quran in terms of textual authority,” according to CNN.
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On Tuesday, the singer and entrepreneur, 32, addressed the backlash and apologized for the “careless mistake” on her Instagram Story.
“I’d like to thank the Muslim community for pointing out a huge oversight that was unintentionally offensive in our savage x fenty show,” Rihanna wrote. “I would more importantly like to apologize to you for this honest, yet careless mistake.”
The Savage X Fenty founder continued: “We understand that we have hurt many of our Muslim brothers and sisters, and I’m incredibly disheartened by this! I do not play with any kind of disrespect toward God or any religion and therefore the use of the song in our show was completely irresponsible! Moving forward we will make sure nothing like this ever happens again. Thank you for your forgiveness and understanding, Rih.”
Speaking with PEOPLE before the highly-anticipated show, Rihanna said the star-studded event would be a celebration of diverse bodies and backgrounds.
″Inclusivity has always been a part of our brand. That’s not a 'right now' thing. It's sad that it’s right now for most brands,″ she shared. ″But that's always been who I am. It's always been how I operate with everything I've done creatively, whether it's makeup or lingerie. I get really excited to see people be a part of my brand. It’s not like I went into it thinking, 'Let's make a movement.' I feel great that there are women that are feeling like they see themselves on the stage for the first time. And if we can continue to expand on that, we’ve done more than we really started out trying to do."
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The fashion show featured performances from Travis Scott, Rosalía, Bad Bunny, Ella Mai, Miguel, Mustard and Roddy Ricch, and special appearances by Lizzo, Bella Hadid, Big Sean, Cara Delevingne, Christian Combs, Demi Moore, Irina Shayk, Laura Harrier, Normani, Paloma Elsesser, Paris Hilton, Rico Nasty, Willow Smith and more.
″We had to work around the challenges of COVID-19, keeping everyone safe and their health at the top of our list. It forced us to figure out new ways to produce a show," Rihanna said. "We had to figure out ways to make this feel as visually enthusiastic as possible. I’m excited, and I’m proud of my team — we pulled it off."
