According to the singer, wishing a “happy new year” or his birthday is not part of his Muslim beliefs
“Please leave me with ‘Happy New Year, New Year’… Leave me with that. In several videos posted on January 1 on his Instagram account, singer Gims explained to his fans why he did not want to celebrate the transition to the new year.
“You know very well that I never replied to that, and you keep sending me all the month of January, February … […] Most muslims send this to me. Did the companions (of the prophet) celebrate the New Year? No. Guys, please stop, ”he replied.
The same goes for birthdays. Gims confides “to suffer with that”. “It’s one more step towards death,” he says. We don’t celebrate that. It is not part of our convictions, come and we focus on our own things. It’s not mean. But let’s stay strong on our values, ”explains the singer, who has converted to Islam since 2004.
Controversy
These comments did not take long to cause controversy on social networks, especially within the far right. The sequence was first relayed on Saturday evening by Damien Rieu, the former spokesperson for Generation Identity. Sunday, it was Eric Zemmour who took up the subject by tweeting in turn Gims’ comments. He took the opportunity to tackle his presidential rival Valérie Pécresse. “Master Gims, support of Valérie Pécresse, speaks to you about identity”, he denounced. The singer had notably publicly supported the Republican candidate before the last regional elections.
Monday morning, the Minister Delegate in charge of Citizenship Marlène Schiappa even reacted on RMC, asking Valérie Pécresse to explain the words of the Congolese singer. “I recently learned in a television program that Maitre Gims was funded by the Île-de-France region and that he had provided support to Valérie Pécresse. I am asking her today what she thinks of these comments. Everyone knows what I think of this type of practice. I ask Valérie Pécresse, who is supported by Maitre Gims, to speak out, ”asked Marlène Schiappa. “As Minister responsible for citizenship, I fight against radicalization, separatism, a form of communitarianism”, she reacted.
In the video published online, Gims adds a layer on the Christmas period. “When I see big trees at Mustafa and Bakari homes, I see that we are not concentrated at home over there. […] Christmas, we respect, but these are not our holidays, ”he said.