DUBAI: In an interview with Muslim Girl’s new Snapchat series “Muslim Girl Says,” R&B singer Sza opened up about her Muslim faith, touching on topics such as fasting during Ramadan and facing Islamophobia.
The “Good Days” hitmaker sat down with the publication’s founder Amani via video chat, where she also discussed the Muslim women who inspire her and the real reason why she removed her hijab.
“I stopped covering after 9/11,” said the artist who was born to a Muslim father and a Christian mother in Maplewood, New Jersey. “I was in Middle school, and I regret so much being afraid of what people said about me — that I let somebody dictate how I was,” she admitted.
“We played (shows) in Malaysia and Indonesia and it was really comforting to be able to cover up for the show,” she said. “But I didn’t have anybody say to me I was being fake… I just really loved that,” she added.
The singer, whose real name is Solána Imani Rowe, also stated that her and her family experienced racially-motivated aggressions due to their faith. “Someone threw a brick at my dad’s mosque,” she recalled.
“I guess I didn’t realize things were weird and awkward until I got a lot older. I couldn’t believe Islamophobia randomly deciding I’m oppressed because I’m covering my hair,” she said.
When asked if she would be fasting Ramadan this year, the 30-year-old said “I don’t see why not. Unless I’m ill.”
SZA has been very vocal about growing up in a Muslim household in a predominantly white community since the beginning of her career. “I’ll feel most comfortable with Islam forever. It just makes most sense to me out of everything else, there’s less variables and less space for human error. It’s very rigid but it’s safe because you can trust it. There’s no photos or idles, no songs or hymnals, it is what it is. I like the clarity,” she said in a past interview with Complex magazine.
