I'm just a human: Zaira Wasim returns to Twitter
Zaira Wasim has returned to Twitter and Instagram. The National award-winning former actor deactivated her social media accounts a couple of days ago, after facing backlash for putting out a controversial post. Explaining why she deactivated her accounts, Zaira stated that just like everyone else, she is "allowed to take a break". However, Zaira's controversial tweet remains undeleted.
She sparked controversy after allegedly justifying locust attack
Zaira sparked controversy after tweeting a verse from the Islamic religious text Quran, thereby purportedly justifying the ongoing locust attack, that has wreaked havoc across several Indian states. Many fellow users accused the 19-year-old of using her religion to justify her "bigotry and hate". On the other hand, many others came out in her support, saying that there was nothing wrong with the tweet.
Here's what Zaira wrote in her tweet
Quoting the holy book, Zaira wrote, "So We sent upon them the flood and locusts and lice and frogs and blood: Signs openly self explained: but they were steeped in arrogance- a people given to sin (sic)."
India currently faces the worst locust attack in decades
Locusts are voracious grasshoppers that are known to hop on crops and destroy vegetation within a matter of hours. They travel in huge numbers and feed on crops along the way. Now, Zaira's tweet came at a time, when the country is reeling under the worst such attack in more than two decades. The ongoing locust attack has brought huge distress to many farmers.
Zaira said she wanted to calm herself down
After reactivating her account, Zaira tweeted that she took a break to calm herself down. Responding to a user enquiring the reason why she deleted her account, Zaira wrote, "Because I'm just a human, like everyone else, who's allowed to take a break from everything whenever the noise inside my head or around me reaches it's peak (sic)."
Here is Zaira's tweet
Earlier, Zaira cited religion as she announced retirement
Last year, Zaira sparked a huge controversy as she announced her retirement from acting. She claimed that her line of work interfered with her faith, asserting that her "relationship with religion was threatened." Attuning her decision to the Quran and God's messenger, Zaira had added, "No amount of success, fame, authority or wealth is worth trading or losing your peace."
Zaira has featured in three films
During her brief career of five years in Bollywood, Zaira featured in movies like Aamir Khan-starrer blockbuster Dangal and Advait Chandan's Secret Superstar. Shonali Bose's The Sky Is Pink, which released last year, was her last film.