Legal notice sent to Kareena Kapoor over Quran verse pendant worn on Diwali

Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan is in the news again, this time over a royal necklace she wore on Diwali. She wore a 30-carat emerald pendant engraved with Ayat al-Kursi, a verse of the Holy Quran. Congress leader Abbas Hafeez, the party's national media coordinator, has sent a legal notice to Kareena Kapoor and her stylist Rhea Kapoor over the pendant.

Kareena had shared pictures of her Diwali look on social media. In them she wore a beige kaftan by designer Punit Balana and a matching turban. The 30-carat emerald pendant engraved with the Quranic verse drew the most attention. The look was widely praised at first, but the jewellery has now sparked a new controversy.

The look was put together by her close friend, celebrity stylist Rhea Kapoor. Sharing the pictures on Instagram, Rhea had also described the history of the jewellery. Kareena wore royal jewellery about 200 years old, including the turra of the Nawabs of Bhopal and a 30-carat emerald belonging to the Begums of Bhopal. Ayat al-Kursi is engraved on this emerald. The jewellery is a legacy of Bhopal's royal family and came to Kareena from Saif Ali Khan's family.

Hafeez sent the legal notice to Kareena Kapoor and Rhea Kapoor on November 11. He has objected to the photographs, videos and posts shared on social media in which Kareena is seen wearing the pendant.

The notice demands that the two remove the pictures and videos from their social media accounts, apologise publicly, and give an assurance that they will not display jewellery bearing verses of the Holy Quran in this manner in future.

Hafeez has made clear that he has no objection to Kareena's clothes, her personal choices or her freedom to wear jewellery. His objection is only to the way the locket engraved with the Quranic verse was shown in the pictures. According to him, a sacred verse such as Ayat al-Kursi must be treated with religious respect and reverence.

The notice also refers to the views of some Islamic scholars. Some scholars question the wearing of Quranic verses as jewellery. They believe care must be taken that sacred texts are not disrespected. The notice also states that different scholars hold different views on the subject.

The pendant is linked to the royal families of Bhopal and Pataudi. Sajida Sultan, daughter of Nawab Hamidullah Khan, the last ruler of Bhopal, was Saif Ali Khan's grandmother. She was married to Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi. Their son Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, also known as Tiger Pataudi, was Saif Ali Khan's father. The jewellery thus passed through the royal legacy to Saif Ali Khan and then to Kareena Kapoor.

In the notice, Hafeez has also appealed for respect for the historical and cultural heritage of the Begums of Bhopal. He claims the way the pendant was shown on social media has hurt the sentiments of some members of the Muslim community and of families linked to Bhopal's former royal house. He has cited the historical tradition of the Begums of Bhopal and the practice of purdah in this regard.

Hafeez has also clarified that he sent the notice in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the Congress party. Neither Kareena Kapoor nor Rhea Kapoor has so far responded to the matter.