Rihanna has apologized after facing considerable backlash from members of the global Muslim community over a track used in last week's Savage x Fenty show that sampled Hadith verses in Arabic. As reported by various outlets, the piece — "Doom" by Coucou Chloe — incorporated an Islamic Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad explaining the signs of judgment day and the end of times.
In Islam, the Hadith is a pivotal source of religious law and moral guidance. It records traditions and sacred sayings, and incorporating these into beats is deemed deeply disrespectful. Much of the backlash discussed Rihanna's responsibility in regards to the entire show production; it also started vital commentary on Western fashion and media brands. Or, as one Twitter user wrote, the event was a "perfect showcase" that illustrates who publications and brands consider "part of their audience" — and who they don't.
In her apology, Rihanna wrote, “I’d like to thank the Muslim community for pointing out a huge oversight that was unintentionally offensive in our savage x fenty show (sic),” she posted. “I would more importantly like to apologize to you for this honest, yet careless mistake.
"We understand that we have hurt many of our Muslim brothers and sisters, and i'm incredibly disheartened by this! (sic) I do not play with any kind of disrespect toward God or any religion and therefore the use of the song in our project was completely irresponsible! Moving forward we will make sure nothing like this ever happens again. Thank you for your forgiveness and understanding, Rih.”
Coucou Chloe also issued an apology. “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.”
