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Irish singer Sinead O’Connor’s conversion to Islam did not perturb Indians till Shehla Rashid tweeted about it.

Popstar of the 1980s, Sinead O’Connor’s conversion to Islam last week didn’t create as much news on Indian social media as did student activist Shehla Rashid’s reaction to it.

Now Shuhada’ Davitt, the religious conversion of the Irish rock star and her enthusiastic prayer call were jubilantly welcomed by Rashid on Twitter.

So what is it about Shehla Rashid’s fangirl moment that ticked so many people off? After all, when Hollywood star and America’s Sweetheart Julia Roberts converted to Hinduism, it was a moment of joy for Indians.

Also read: From Sinead O’Connor to Shuhada’ Davitt, the Irish rockstar’s transition to Islam

“I am a Hindu,” Roberts had said. “I chant, pray and celebrate on a regular basis.”

Then we learnt two years ago that Titanic-star Leonardo DiCaprio’s step-mother practises Sikhism. Her turbaned photograph made headlines. It made me happy, not just because I am a Sikh, but because I was a fan and photographs of his face was stuck on the insides of my cupboard. It made a lot of Indians proud too that she was now an Amritdhari Sikh.

So, what is so special if Sinead O’Connor embraces Islam – in a purely voluntary manner? The reaction to Shehla Rashid’s tweet actually shows the deep Islamophobia that has been brewing in this country for a while. Surely, it has nothing to do with the legality of her religious conversion? She wasn’t coerced with money, or by fear of persecution.

I asked Shehla Rashid about it.

“I was surprised because Sinead O’Connor has been a vocal critic of the Church,” Rashid said. “She’s been known for tearing up a photo of the Pope on Saturday Night Live over the issue of child abuse. It was surprising to see her embrace an institutionalised religion. She’s been quite a rebel. But it turns out that people here don’t know much about her, so they thought that I’m jumping with joy when I exclaimed ‘unbelievable’. She’s my favourite singer, always on the top of my playlists. All my friends know this. It was a fan’s reaction. If she had taken up Indian citizenship, I’d similarly welcome her. Hearing the Azan in her voice impressed me in the same way that hearing ‘Jai Ho‘ in Nicole Scherzinger’s voice does. As does hearing Kashmiri songs sung by Asha Bhosle or contemporary Odiya singer Sniti Mishra.”

In the world of Shehla Rashid, rubbing people the wrong way is not a new occurrence. I don’t quite know how she keeps fighting these constant battles and dealing with criticism from across the ideological spectrum. Ironically, for some, Shehla Rashid is not Muslim enough to represent the interests of the community because she is a Left-leaning feminist. But for others, it is more reductive — she is nothing more than just a Kashmiri Muslim who probably has secret agendas and is working towards breaking India or a Muslim takeover of the country.

Also read: This Kashmiri Sikh is using music to cross national and religious divides

All this is almost laughable until it is not. It is not our young leaders who engage in identity politics; it is us who can’t see our future public figures without placing them in boxes and tagging them with labels that make us comfortable. We must strive for a nation where we don’t have to have this conversation, and where we don’t have to see people debating such mundane activities, like the intensity and passion with which a single tweet of Rashid’s is dissected and trolled. The onus is not on the next generation of Indian leaders to conform to these boxes, but on us as citizens to open our minds towards perspectives that don’t always make us comfortable.

The author is a writer and student activist.

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