AR Rahman defends daughter Khatija, says he’d wear burqa too, ‘but a male isn’t supposed to wear one’

Musician AR Rahman has said that he’d wear a burqa too, if it was possible. Rahman was reacting to the criticism faced by his daughter Khatija, for dressing in a burqa.

Musician AR Rahman has defended his daughter’s decision to wear a burqa. Rahman’s daughter, Khatija, was recently attacked online by writer Taslima Nasrin for her dressing choices.

AR Rahman’s daughter Khatija has been criticised for wearing a burqa before.

In an interview to The Quint, Rahman said that he’d wear a burqa too, if it were possible. He said, “A male is not supposed to wear a burqa, otherwise I will wear one. It would be so easy to go and shop, find steady life. You know, I think, she finds her freedom. Because she is somebody who will go for a funeral of a maid’s mother or maid’s relative. And I get awestruck with her simplicity and what she does socially.”

Rahman said that Khatija didn’t consult him or the family before replying to Nasrin. “More than the religious thing I think, I personally think it is a psychological thing. Because she sang a song and around 10 million people were having it as their ringtone. If you take a little kid who is an introvert and suddenly people are spamming them with good and bad, anybody would shut off,” he said.

Nasrin in an unprovoked tweet had written, “I absolutely love A R Rahman’s music. But whenever i see his dear daughter, i feel suffocated. It is really depressing to learn that even educated women in a cultural family can get brainwashed very easily!”

Khatija had replied, “Dear Taslima Nasreen, I’m sorry you feel suffocated by my attire. Please get some fresh air, cause I don’t feel suffocated rather I’m proud and empowered for what I stand for. I suggest you google up what true feminism means because it isn’t bashing other women down nor bringing their fathers into the issue I also don’t recall sending my photos to you for your perusal.”

Khatija had faced similar backlash last year, when she appeared alongside her father and siblings in a social media post.

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