United Nations ambassador and renowned Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, among other Indian celebrities, is facing criticism for voicing Mahsa Amini’s death in Iran.
The actress is about 40 years, and lives in the US, took to Instagram where she has over 82 million followers, to support the protests in Iran, hailing women for fighting the government, asking followers to “stay informed and be vocal”.
Also Read: Women in Iran were arrested for dining out without wearing a headscarf
On Instagram, she wrote “To ensure that this movement will have a lasting effect, we must hear their call, understand the issues and then join in with our collective voices,” she wrote.
Irani women are protesting in support of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old girl who died in custody after being detained for not wearing the hijab “properly”. Thousands have taken to the streets, publicly burnt their hijabs, and cut their hair, protesting against the authorities. Dozens have been reported to be killed amid the chaos.
The actress said that she was in “awe” of the courage of these women, adding that it was “not easy to risk life, to challenge the patriarchal establishment, and fight for your rights.”
The UNO ambassador and Actress is, however, being criticized for choosing to remain silent on human rights violations against Muslims in her home country, India, and also for her “double standards”, that is, not speaking for Muslim women in India, who have been attacked for wearing hijab in multiple Islamophobic incidents.
Indian journalist Rana Ayyub posted a video of a BJP MP announcing a financial boycott of Muslims to point out how celebrities speak about Iran but neglect the “fascism” at home.
“Indian celebrities speaking about Iran will look the other way through this fascism and apartheid in their home country.”
A law professor and author Khalid Beydoun posted a screenshot of Chopra’s post and asked her if she had “any word to say” about the conditions in India’s Karnataka and its anti-hijab laws
Remember that, This is not the first time Priyanka Chopra has shown “selective outrage”. In 2020, she was criticized for supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in the US but not speaking a word about the minorities in India.
