Hindu Organisations Extend Support to Kareena Kapoor Amid Controversy Over Quranic Verse on Heirloom Pendant

Bhopal: Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan has received support from several Hindu organisations after a Madhya Pradesh Congress spokesperson issued her a legal notice over social media photographs showing her wearing a vintage emerald pendant bearing a verse from the Quran.

Hindu Utsav Samiti president Chandra Shekhar Tiwari has backed the actress, saying she had no reason to apologise over wearing the jewellery. The controversy erupted after Congress spokesperson Abbas Hafeez objected to the manner in which the religious inscription was displayed on social media.

Hafeez has demanded that Kareena remove the photographs and related posts and issue a public apology. He clarified that his objection was not to the actress wearing the pendant but to what he described as the disrespectful display of a sacred religious inscription, which he claimed had hurt the sentiments of the Muslim community.

Hafeez's advocate, Mohammad Zafar, said the pendant carries a verse from the Holy Quran, which holds religious significance in Islam. He pointed out that Islamic religious practices prescribe ritual ablution before touching or reciting sacred texts.

The legal notice seeks the removal of the photographs, a public apology and an assurance that the religious inscription will not be displayed in a manner considered disrespectful.

Hafeez also maintained that the pendant was associated with the heritage of the Begums of Bhopal and was traditionally worn as an expression of faith rather than merely as a fashion accessory. However, he clarified that his initiative was personal and should not be linked to the Congress party's ideology or official political position.

The controversy centres on an emerald pendant described by celebrity stylist Rhea Kapoor as an approximately 200-year-old heirloom belonging to the former royal family of Bhopal. Kapoor had shared photographs of Kareena wearing the jewellery as part of her Diwali look.

The pendant's historical association with the Pataudi family dates back to the marriage of Sajida Sultan, daughter of Bhopal's last ruling Nawab, Hamidullah Khan, to Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi. Their son, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, was a former Indian cricket captain and the father of Kareena's husband, actor Saif Ali Khan.

Responding to the controversy, Tiwari said the actress did not owe anyone an apology for wearing the family heirloom.

"A pendant is meant to be worn around the neck, close to the heart. If it bears Quranic verses, she would not have worn it at any place considered disrespectful. She does not need to apologise to anyone," he said.

Tiwari also argued that Kareena, as the daughter-in-law of the erstwhile Bhopal royal family, was entitled to wear jewellery belonging to her mother-in-law.

The Hindu Utsav Samiti and Sanskriti Bachao Manch have also expressed support for the actress, adding another dimension to the debate surrounding the religious and historical significance of the heirloom.

There was no immediate public response from Kareena Kapoor Khan or her representatives regarding the legal notice.

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