Jannat Mirza says she never intended to hurt any religion or person. (Photo: TikTok)
Pakistani TikTok star Jannat Mirza has apologized to Christians after being accused of blasphemy for insulting the Christian cross.
Mirza on June 5 apologized via a video posted on TikTok with a statement for her “Christian fans and friends” with a heart emoji and hashtag #Peace.
“I had received the chain in a PR package few days ago. I learned from the comments sections that it’s a sign of Christians. I immediately deleted all the videos and apologized to all on Instagram,” she stated.
“It was never my intention to hurt any religion or person. I accept my mistake and apologize to you all. Inshallah [God willing] I will be alert next time.”
The video has been watched more than 725,900 times.
Christian activists in Lahore filed a complaint with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) after Mirza uploaded several videos last week of her wearing a silver cross on a chain dangling from her waist.
She should face the court, beg for forgiveness and then she may explore our Christian theology of forgiveness
Saleem Sylvester, one of the complainants, rejected her apology. “She should face the court, beg for forgiveness and then she may explore our Christian theology of forgiveness. This procedure must come on record,” he said.
Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan even though no one has ever been executed for it. According to the Lahore-based Center for Social Justice, 78 people were killed extrajudicially from 1987 to 2020 after allegations related to blasphemy and apostasy. Twenty-three of them were Christians.
Last week Lahore High Court acquitted a Christian couple arrested in 2013 for blasphemy. Shafqat Emmanuel and his wife Shagufta Kausar were on death row after being convicted of sending text messages insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
Muslim TikTokers often insult Christians and their faith. Last year one apologized for using a derogatory term for her Christian maid. In 2019, another female TikTok user uploaded a music video of her walking barefoot on a rug depicting the Last Supper but later apologized.