DUBAI: Indian singer Sonu Nigam is being slammed on Twitter over his complaint that the Muslim call to prayer is “forced religiousness.”
On Monday morning, Nigam tweeted “God bless everyone. I’m not a Muslim and I have to be woken up by the [Adhan] in the morning. When will this forced religiousness end in India.”
God bless everyone. I'm not a Muslim and I have to be woken up by the Azaan in the morning. When will this forced religiousness end in India
— Sonu Nigam (@sonunigam) April 16, 2017
In a separate tweet, he added that the call to prayer was “gundagardi,” which loosely translates to thuggish behavior or hooliganism.
The 43-year-old singer is being lambasted on social media, especially as his tweet comes at a time of rising tensions between Hindus and Muslims in the country following the rise of the far-right Bharatiya Janata Party to power.
“God bless Sonu Nigam. I’m not Sonu Nigam yet I wake every morning to a world where Sonu Nigam exists. when will Sonu Nigam stop Sonu Nigam,” one user posted.
“If only there was a way to rate Sonu Nigam 1 star on Google play store and then uninstall him, we could show him who’s boss,” another said.
If only there was a way to rate Sonu Nigam 1 star on Google play store and then uninstall him, we could show him who's boss
— Magnus Lewis (@magnuslewis263) April 17, 2017
One user even referenced the debate on whether beef should be consumed in the country due to the importance of cows in Hinduism.
“God bless everyone. I’m not a Hindu but I’m not allowed to eat beef. When will this forced religiousness end in India?”
God bless everyone. I'm not a Hindu but I'm not allowed to eat beef. When will this forced religiousness end in India? https://t.co/tp1vyOoh5v
— Err (@Errendous) April 17, 2017
Another user tweeted: “When will the state-sanctioned religious cleansing of Muslims by Hindu extremists in India end? Or the atrocities in Kashmir? Shame on you.”
When will the state-sanctioned religious cleansing of Muslims by Hindu extremists in India end? Or the atrocities in Kashmir? Shame on you. https://t.co/0nQvJyblLx
— eemi (@eemanabbasi) April 17, 2017
However, some users supported Nigam’s stance.
I am willing to sponsor a campaign against illegal blaring of Azaan and other prayers on loudspeakers. Suggest a creative hashtag.
— Vivek Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) April 17, 2017
The majority Hindu nation is home to a sizeable homegrown Muslim community which is the largest of the country’s religious minorities and accounts for roughly 14 percent of the population.
According to the Pew Research Center, India is set to be home to the world’s largest Muslim population by 2050.
