Famous Pakistani actress and model Areeba Habib responded to the trolls after joining his friend Deepak Parwani in celebrating the Diwali festival.
Areeba came under fire for celebrating a non-Muslim festival ‘Diwali’ and posting pictures of the event.
Habib appeared as a guest at Ushna Shah’s show ‘After Hours’ where she shared her opinion about religious tolerance.
During the conversation with Ushna, Areeba said Deepak Perwani who was the host of the Diwali event, also attended iftar dinners with his Muslim friends just out of respect.
“You’re going there to be a part of their happiness and enjoy with them because they don’t have anyone here. They (minorities) are away from their communities because Pakistan is their home now, and we’re simply celebrating with them.”
She said that we need to create a tolerant atmosphere in which the views of all are respected because Pakistan is a home of different ethnic and religious groups.
“We live in a country with a lot of people, including Christians and Hindus, who celebrate our occasions with us,” Habib said.
Habib also stated that she was criticized for putting up a Christmas tree in her house, which she does because a lot of her staff is Christian. While the actor was grateful for being a Muslim, she emphasized that as humans we should celebrate everything and be a part of others’ happiness.
“We’re not saying you should convert to Christianity,” Habib added.
Areeba told Shah that her brother told her to remember that internet trolls and haters took out their frustrations on social media.
“They don’t have anything to do, they have mobile phones and internet which is cheap in Pakistan and this is what they do. They think it’s an achievement to comment on a public figure’s account and their best achievement is when you reply.”