Sonu Nigam responds to 'fatwa' by shaving head; says azaan tweet is 'social topic, not religious issue'

Sonu Nigam has been a busy man these days. Ever since he tweeted about his sleep being disrupted in the early mornings by the calls for azaan blaring over the loudpseakers from a nearby mosque, Sonu’s been on overdrive explaining his stance. For the record, it is this — he’s against loudspeakers being used by an religious institution/at any event that goes beyond appropriate decibel levels, and not mosques in particular. [caption id=“attachment_3392802” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Sonu Nigam addressing the press conference on Wednesday, 19 April 2017. Images courtesy: Firstpost Hindi[/caption] While his comments drew support and censure in equal measure, it particularly raised the hackles of a maulvi in West Bengal, who branded Nigam an “anti-national” and offered a Rs 10 lakh award to anyone who would “shave his head, garland him with torn shoes, and parade him around the country”. Nigam promptly offered to get celebrity hairstylist Aalim Hakim to shave off his hair, in exchange for the promised Rs 10 lakh. Read the full report here: Sonu Nigam gives cheeky response to West Bengal maulvi on fatwa, will hold press conference Nigam also held a press conference at his home in Versova, Mumbai, amid protection provided by the police. At the conference, Nigam said: “I didn’t speak against any religion… I am not against azaan, only the use of loudspeakers.” The singer spoke at length about his secular beliefs, adding that the celebrated Mohd Rafi “was like a father” to him. “I believe in all faiths,” Nigam added. He further said that the issue he had raised should not be looked at through the lens of religion, but rather, as a social problem that deserved attention. “This is a social topic, not a religious one,” Nigam asserted, before adding, “I have a right to my opinion.” Nigam later also shaved his head before the cameras, as he had promised: [caption id=“attachment_3392882” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Images courtesy: Twitter[/caption]