Not afraid of ‘fatwa’, will sing till last breath: Nahid Afrin

Guwahati, March 15 (IANS) Young singer Nahid Afrin, against whom some Islamic clerics in the state have issued a 'fatwa', says she is not afraid and would not stop singing or performing till her death.

Over 40 clerics from Muslim organisations issued the 'fatwa' against the 16-year-old, restricting her to perform on stage, saying that the performance by a girl on stage was against the "Sharia laws".

The clerics organisation had also distributed some leaflets in and around Udali area near Hojai in central Assam, asking the singer not to perform in a function scheduled for March 25.

Talking about it, Afrin told the media: "I was broken completely after hearing about the 'fatwa'. But I am not going to stop singing. I have received hundreds of calls and messages from the people of Assam and different organisations supporting me."

Afrin had brought laurels for the state by becoming the runner up in popular television show "Indian Idol Junior" in 2015.

The young singer shot to fame after she made her debut in Bollywood with 2016 Sonakshi Sinha starrer "Akira".

"Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal spoke to me and told me not to be afraid. He also assured me of security during the scheduled programme at Udali on March 25.

"I am a singer and music is my life. I don't think I can survive without music. Allah has blessed me with this voice for singing, and I'll die if I am not allowed to sing," said Afrin.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday tweeted: "Freedom of artists are essence of democracy. Spoke to Nahid and reiterated our government's commitment to provide safety and security to artists."

Meanwhile, several organisations and individuals in Assam have come out to support the young singer and against the 'fatwa' issued against the singer and said that people of Assam will give security to her.