Not an actress anymore: Zaira Wasim speaks on locust controversy
A day after deleting and then reactivating her social media accounts, Zaira Wasim has finally broken her silence about her controversial tweet. Zaira (19) sparked controversy after putting out a tweet, thereby purportedly justifying the ongoing locust attack, that continues to cause destruction across several Indian states. However, the former actor's controversial tweet remains undeleted. Here is more on this.
Firstly, what is the controversy all about?
Zaira, who won a National award for her performance in her 2016 debut movie Dangal, triggered a debate after quoting a verse from the Islamic religious text Quran. Thereafter, many fellow users accused Zaira of using her religion to justify her "bigotry and hate". On the other hand, some 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 worst locust attack in decades
For the unversed, locusts are voracious grasshoppers that hop on crops and destroy vegetation within a matter of hours. They travel in huge numbers and feed on crops along the way. Zaira's tweet came at a time, when the country is reeling under the worst such attack in more than two decades. The locust attack has brought huge distress to many farmers.
Zaira has written a lengthy note in her defense
Now, Zaira has written a lengthy clarification in response to a tweet by Pakistani-Canadian journalist Tarek Fatah, where he took a dig at the former actor, writing, "Indian Muslim actress Zaira Wasim mocks her own countrymen as being victims of Allah's wrath." In her note, Zaira claimed that her tweet was "taken out of context" and did not reflect her intentions correctly.
I never claimed locust attack was Allah's wrath, said Zaira
Zaira said she did not claim that locust attack was "Allah's wrath". She wrote, "I too agree making claims like 'this is wrath or a curse' when the world is going through so much is a really insensitive one." She added that making such claims is "religiously irresponsible and a sin." She asserted it was "a claim I never made, let alone mock anyone."
'I'm only accountable to Allah, not his creation'
Zaira went on to add that her message was misinterpreted. She penned, "My tweet was completely taken out of context and blown out of proportion and none of the opinions, whether good or bad, define the reality of my intentions." She further said that she would not explain her intentions as she is "only accountable to Allah and not his creation".
'Let's not add more hatred and bigotry in the world'
Zaira said, "The world is going through a tough time and a lot of hatred and bigotry already, the least we could do is not add more to it." "Let us not keep resorting to escape or avoidance but instead keep challenging our thinking, keep confronting and re-examining biased beliefs," she further wrote. "P.S I am not an actress anymore," she concluded.
You can read the full statement here
Zaira announced her retirement from acting, last year
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 Allah'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 Dangal, also starring superstar Aamir Khan, and Advait Chandan's Secret Superstar. Shonali Bose's The Sky Is Pink, which released last year, was her final film.
