Shahrukh Khan’s words take an unwarranted twist
Shah Rukh Khan waves during the unveiling of TOIFA Bollywood awards in Mumbai, India. —Photo by AP
MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has insisted he is “safe and happy” in India in a bid to end a controversy sparked by an article he wrote on being Muslim in the Hindu-majority country.
The piece led Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik to say that India should provide Khan with security. India’s Home Secretary R.K. Singh responded curtly that Pakistan should look after its own citizens.
Reading out a lengthy statement to journalists late on Tuesday, Khan said his piece in the magazine Outlook Turning Points had taken an “unwarranted twist”.
“Nowhere does the article state or imply directly or indirectly that I feel unsafe, troubled or disturbed in India,” he said.
In the magazine piece, he wrote that he sometimes became “the inadvertent object of political leaders who choose to make me a symbol of all that they think is wrong and unpatriotic about Muslims in India”.
The Indian actor said he had occasionally been accused of bearing allegiance to Muslim-majority Pakistan, and had been urged by leaders at political rallies to leave India and return to what they called his “original homeland”.
Khan has been targeted by the Shiv Sena, a far-right Hindu nationalist party headquartered in Mumbai that has often pushed an anti-Pakistan and anti-Muslim agenda.
The Shiv Sena threatened cinemas showing his 2010 film ‘My Name is Khan’ after he spoke in favour of Pakistani cricketers playing in the Indian Premier League.
On Tuesday, Khan said it was “irksome” to have to clarify the “non-existent” issue sparked by his recent article.
“I would like to tell all those who are offering me unsolicited advice that we in India are extremely safe and happy. We have an amazing democratic, free and secular way of life.”
Khan emerged last week at the top of Forbes India’s first Celebrity 100 list, based on income and popularity, after he raked in an estimated 37.7 million dollars last year.
where are Indian muslims, their silence may be a suggest something, it is unfortunate but it is true that many Indian muslims still have soft corner for India
SRK always stuck in controversy……..WHY???
my indian muslims friends have told me that their friends wud tease them when pakistan cricket team would win from india that u will be very happy today, and i have sen and worked and studied with many indian muslims and pakistani muslims too i think indian muslims are a bit not confident as Pakistani muslims are, they R under a bit of fear of explainging their patriotism all the time, Hindus think that they give more priority to their religious identity rather than their country identity indian, and also if indian muslims and hindus are living so happily with each other n lvoe so much then why in foregin counries indian muslims become friends and live with paki muslims and indian hindus are lviving a bit separate i mean no so close ??
Have you heard of APJ Abdul Kalam? He happened to be devout Muslim, one of the greatest scientist, visionary and former President of India. All the top bollywood stars are mostly muslims. Just name any hindu or any minority community person with similar status in Pakistan?
It’s your thought dear…we are very happy in India and proud on our nation. By the way….we never feel happy if Pakistan win against us. We were , is and will be an Indian till our last breath.
Seriously? Don’t you read Indian news papers? Muslims in India have enough power stop release of 100 crore film, give hate speech against their own country and countrymen. This is called democracy. It’s not perfect and it will never be. What’s important is people have freedom of expression irrespective of their cast, religion in our country. Isn’t that most important thing as human?
You are quite right Kamran that it is a general perception in Indian Non Muslims(not only hindu) or you can say people throughout the world that Muslim give more prriorty to their religion than their country and they are not completely wrong.It has been my personal experience with one of my friend in hyderabad India that they supported Pakistan.Even in a survey in Pakistan, most Pakistani accepted they put religion ahead of country. Major Nidal Hasan case in US and People coming from foreigin country for Jihad purpose is another example of this.
This shows, all including the writer of this article here are so much biased in thinking and even in hiding fact without putting thing in context. Atleast I never would need one more conclusive evidence to judge the maturity of an average journalist of Pakistan.
What else can an Indian Muslim say, apart from appealing for calm from the majority Hindu community. Keep Khan and carry on minting money Khanji.
Didn’t Mr. Malik know, SRK would have to answer him. Why the self goal?
We don’t need Shahrukh Khan in Pakistan. He is living a happy life in India and he should stay there.
Do people actually care what Rehman Malik says?
Muslims themselves are not safe in pakistan, they kill each other in Pakistan. India is the only country where all the denominations of muslims can live safely together. Wake up time for Pakistan.