Yahoo Finance Saira Khan says she's received threats after sharing she's not a practising Muslim
Saira Khan has said she’s received threats after announcing she is no longer a practicing Muslim.
The former Loose Women panellist shared in The Mirror on Monday that she wanted to clarify her faith “for [her] own wellbeing” but revealed in a Instagram Live later that day that she’d received an abusive backlash.
In a statement posted to her Instagram account on Tuesday, Khan claimed she had been subjected to threats, abuse and trolling as a result.
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“Since I came out as a “non practising” Muslim, I have been sent threats, abuse and been trolled. Why my personal choice of how I choose to live my life should stir such hatred in others is incomprehensible to me,” she wrote.
Khan went on to say she had “been contacted by so many women in the last 24 hours documenting their fears for wanting to live their life how they wish”.
“My Instagram page is not about pretending that life is always positive and rosy and we can pass each day snapping our fingers and changing things in an instant,” she said before adding she “had a duty” to help other women by using her platform.
Khan also shared screenshots of supportive messages from her followers in her Instagram Story.
In her piece for The Mirror, Khan clarified she does “not represent any Muslim communities – especially Muslim women”.
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“I want to be honest and feel free to live my life by my own rules,” she said. “I feel that by saying this as a public figure, I will no longer inadvertently confuse or unintentionally hurt others of the Muslim faith.”
Khan added that while she respected “people who have Islam in their lives” she doesn’t “share their conviction”.
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