Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui is facing backlash over a joke he made on Canadian Pop Singer Justin Bieber.
Bieber had revealed on social media that he is suffering from Ramsay Hunt Syndrome which left half of his face paralysed. Taking a dig at Bieber’s health condition, Faruqui posted on social media, “Dear Justin Bieber, I can totally understand. Even here in India right side not working properly (sic).’’
Faruqui drew flak from netizens, with many calling his tweet “insensitive.” “Making jokes about someone’s illness just shows how jahil you are… It doesn’t make you funny.” a user wrote. "This is so disappointing," wrote another.
Faruqui is not new to controversies. He faced criticism in 2021 for allegedly “insulting Hindu gods and goddesses” during one of his gigs and was even imprisoned for a month. His shows got cancelled after he was released on bail. He denied having made the joke and said, “Nafrat jeet gayi, artist haar gaya (hate has won, artist has lost). I’m done, goodbye. Injustice.’’
Bieber was forced to cancel his concerts after being diagnosed with the viral infection. “As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face…This nostril will not move. So there’s full paralysis on this side of my face,” said Bieber.
“So for those who are frustrated by my cancellations of the next shows, I’m just physically, obviously not able of doing them,” he said . “This is pretty serious as you can see.”
“I wish this wasn’t the case but obviously my body is telling me I gotta slow down,” he added.
Bieber who has a huge fan following in India was all set to perform here on October 18, as part of his Justice World Tour.
The tour is named after his album 'Justice'.
