“
No, I no longer sing
Allah
.
You know, there are morons everywhere and I had a fatwa on my head
”, recalls Véronique Sanson at the microphone of Icons, the program of Michel Denisot on Europe 1. The song did not pose a problem, however, when it was released in 1988. The controversy arose after the publication
of Salman Rushdie's
Satanic Verses
.
The author's fourth novel throws a new light on the title of the French singer, named
Allah
rather than
God,
on the advice of Michel Berger.
Read also: After her throat cancer, Véronique Sanson was afraid for her voice
Salman Rushdie is the subject of a fatwa, issued on February 14, 1989, for a description of the Prophet Muhammad deemed irreverent by part of the Muslim world.
The fatwa calls for the execution of the British author of Indian origin.
The description of the prophet is worth the book to be banned in several countries.
What ignited the powder?
An article published in the
Journal du Dimanche
affirms Véronique Sanson whose title was "Véronique Sanson apostrophe Allah".
The French singer then receives death threats before a concert at the Olympia.
I said
Allah
in the song because it sounded better than God
”, the singer still concedes, 32 years later.
According to her,
Allah
would be a “
misunderstood love song
”.
In 2006, the singer explained to Liberation having written this title "
as a prayer to Allah himself
"
.
It was in no way an insult or provocation for her.
But with a song
"against intolerance, fanaticism
"
.
“
Not against Islam.
I respect the Muslim religion
, ”she explains.
In this piece, Véronique Sanson sings "
Allah / What is the use of having a name / Why this fire, this thunder (...).
If I were you, I wouldn't be proud (...).
In the name of what do you wage war / What is the use of having a name / It is to defile the desert / With blood shed for Allah.
"
Deploring "
the amalgamation made with
The Satanic Verses", the singer therefore preferred to exclude this title definitively from her repertoire because, she admits, she found
"ridiculous to tempt the devil"
.