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Nollywood actress Adunni Ade has spoken about navigating her religious identity as a public figure, revealing that she lost followers after publicly identifying as a Muslim.
According to PM News, the actress, speaking with Chude Jideonwo, said some of her Christian followers unfollowed her after she openly shared her faith.
Ade explained that she had initially struggled to publicly identify as a Muslim because of the nature of the entertainment industry.
According to the actress, publicly identifying as Muslim is “almost forbidden” in Nollywood because of the possibility of being looked down upon.
She said she eventually decided to speak openly about her faith after becoming tired of keeping it private.
Ade said she had attended different churches and did not consider Christianity a bad religion, but had come to recognise Islam as the faith that works for her.
She explained that her understanding of Islam goes beyond outward appearance and is also reflected in how a person treats others.
She added that while many Muslims welcomed and supported her, she was not concerned about how people responded to her decision because her faith was a personal matter.
Ade said her decision was ultimately about being open about the religion she had chosen and what works for her.
“In my line of work, it is almost forbidden for you to publicly say you are a Muslim. You could be looked down upon for doing that. It is just something that I noticed. Islam for me, is not all about outward look. It is what is within.
“How you treat others. I came out publicly with my religion because I was tired of keeping it a secret. I have been to different churches. I am not saying Christianity is not a good religion. It is not for me to say.
“I am just saying what works for me, is Islam. And I lost some fans for revealing that I am a Muslim. They unfollowed me. Some people even came to my DMs to bit out whatever spirit they thought was within me. Some were praying for me. A lot of Muslims embraced me. But I really don’t care about that. It is just for me and what works for me,” she stated.
