AR Rahman recently shared the stage with his daughter Khatija during an event to celebrate 10 years of Slumdog Millionaire’s musical journey. His eldest daughter was invited to interview the Oscar winner on stage. Khatija, who chose to wear a niqaab went on to share anecdotes about her father and also asked him for advice as they shared the stage. However, her choice of garb drew some ire from people and the father-daughter duo was criticized on social media. Many accused Rahman of forcing his daughter to wear the veil.
The musician took to social media to hit back at the trolls with a photo of his wife and two daughters posing with Nita Ambani. The images showed his wife Sairaa covering her head with a dupatta, Khatija wearing a niqaab while Raheema did not. The photo was captioned with the hashtag #FreedomToChoose.
https://twitter.com/arrahman/status/1093221000378966017
On the other hand, Khatija replied to the trolls on her Instagram account with a message that revealed the niqaab was her choice and not forced upon her by her father’s religious beliefs. She wrote, “The recent conversation of myself on stage with my dad has been doing the rounds although I didn't expect such an overwhelming response. However, there were certain comments which said that this attire is being forced by my dad and that he has double standards. I would like to say that the attire I wear or the choices I make in my life does not have anything to do with my parents. The veil has been my personal choice with complete acceptance and honour. I'm a sane mature adult who knows to make my choices in life. Any human being has a choice to wear or do what he/she wants and that's what I've been doing. Hence, kindly don't make your own judgments without understanding the exact situation #freedomofchoice. [sic]”
