Actor Arjun Bijlani and his wife, Neha Swami Bijlani, have issued a joint statement apologising over the controversy surrounding a T-shirt she recently wore that featured Urdu text referring to Prophet Muhammad.
The T-shirt’s printed content sparked an online backlash, prompting the couple to clarify that Neha was unaware of the meaning and significance of the text when she wore it.
On Wednesday, the couple took to Instagram to address the controversy, stating that there was no intention to hurt or offend the religious sentiments of any individual or community.
In their joint statement, they said, “Neha was completely unaware of the meaning and significance of the writing on the T-shirt when she wore it. There was absolutely no intention to hurt, disrespect or offend the religious sentiments of any individual or community.”
The couple added that they respected all religions, faiths and beliefs and would never knowingly do anything to hurt the sentiments of others.
They also expressed concern over the online abuse directed at Neha, saying that the trolling, abusive language, curses and threats she had received were deeply distressing and unacceptable.
Explaining how Neha came to possess the T-shirt, the couple said it had been gifted to her by a fan at a mall in Bangkok. They reiterated that they did not know what the text meant when she wore it.
“It was a T-shirt gifted by a fan in Bangkok at a mall and we didn’t know the meaning of what was written, we celebrate all festivals and we will never hurt anyone’s sentiments in any way,” they stated.
The couple emphasised that a situation arising from a lack of awareness should not become a reason to subject anyone to online harassment or threats. They also appealed to people to approach the matter with understanding, sensitivity and compassion.
“We are sorry for what happened unintentionally and we will always be careful in future with regards to the gifts received,” they said, requesting people to refrain from spreading hate or targeting Neha and her family.
Concluding their statement, Arjun and Neha said they believed mutual respect and dialogue were more constructive ways to address such issues than abuse and intimidation. They expressed hope that their clarification would help put the controversy into perspective.