Wednesday 23 January 2013

Shah Rukh Khan Speaks On Being A Muslim In India With Outlook Turning Points Magazine - The Global Agenda 2013


India's global superstar and unofficial brand ambassador, Shah Rukh Khan is featured on the cover of Outlook Turning Points The Global Agenda 2013 magazine in association with The New York Times newspaper.

Inside the issue, SRK speaks with the magazine on what it means to be a Muslim in India and rest of the world titled:

"Being a Khan: What it means to be a Muslim in the post-9/11 world. And what India means for the world as a Muslim power."

"I sometimes become the inadvertent object of political leaders who choose to make me a symbol of all that they think is wrong and unpatriotic about Muslims in India. There have been occasions when I have been accused of bearing allegiance to our neighbouring nation rather than my own country - this even though I am an Indian, whose father fought for the freedom of India. Rallies have been held where leaders have exhorted me to leave and return to what they refer to as my original homeland.

I gave my son and daughter names that could pass for generic (pan-India and pan-religious) ones - Aryan and Suhana. The Khan has been bequeathed by me so they can't really escape it. I pronounce it with my epiglottis when asked by Muslims and throw the Aryan as evidence of their race when non-Muslims enquire. I imagine this will prevent my offspring from receiving unwarranted eviction orders or random fatwas in the future.

I became so sick of being mistaken for some crazed terrorist who co-incidentally carries the same name as mine that I made a film subtly titled My Name Is Khan (and I am not a terrorist) to prove a point. Ironically, I was interrogated at the airport for hours about my last name when I was going to promote the film in America for the first time."

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