Not an actress anymore: Zaira Wasim speaks on locust controversy

Zaira, who won a National award for her performance in her 2016 debut movie Dangal, triggered a debate after quoting a verse from the Islamic religious text Quran.

Thereafter, many fellow users accused Zaira of using her religion to justify her "bigotry and hate". On the other hand, some came out in her support, saying that there was nothing wrong with the tweet.

For the unversed, locusts are voracious grasshoppers that hop on crops and destroy vegetation within a matter of hours. They travel in huge numbers and feed on crops along the way.

Zaira's tweet came at a time, when the country is reeling under the worst such attack in more than two decades. The locust attack has brought huge distress to many farmers.

Now, Zaira has written a lengthy clarification in response to a tweet by Pakistani-Canadian journalist Tarek Fatah, where he took a dig at the former actor, writing, "Indian Muslim actress Zaira Wasim mocks her own countrymen as being victims of Allah's wrath."

In her note, Zaira claimed that her tweet was "taken out of context" and did not reflect her intentions correctly.

Zaira said she did not claim that locust attack was "Allah's wrath".

She wrote, "I too agree making claims like 'this is wrath or a curse' when the world is going through so much is a really insensitive one." She added that making such claims is "religiously irresponsible and a sin."

She asserted it was "a claim I never made, let alone mock anyone."

Zaira went on to add that her message was misinterpreted.

She penned, "My tweet was completely taken out of context and blown out of proportion and none of the opinions, whether good or bad, define the reality of my intentions."

She further said that she would not explain her intentions as she is "only accountable to Allah and not his creation".

Zaira said, "The world is going through a tough time and a lot of hatred and bigotry already, the least we could do is not add more to it."

"Let us not keep resorting to escape or avoidance but instead keep challenging our thinking, keep confronting and re-examining biased beliefs," she further wrote.

"P.S I am not an actress anymore," she concluded.

Last year, Zaira sparked a huge controversy as she announced her retirement from acting.

She claimed that her line of work interfered with her faith, asserting that her "relationship with religion was threatened."

Attuning her decision to the Quran and Allah's messenger, Zaira had added, "No amount of success, fame, authority or wealth is worth trading or losing your peace."