Reham Khan tweets ‘bearded’ pic of self, gets trolled by top Zimbabwean cleric

ISLAMABAD: A day after Reham Khan — the former wife of Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan — posted a photoshopped, bearded picture of herself on Twitter, she was trolled by a top Zimbabwean Islamic cleric and the photo’s rightful owner on Saturday.


“So a while ago I was offered to join a party. I said I might not be able to cover my face but I could grow a beard..looks rather fetching on me (sic),” Reham tweeted with the picture on June 29. Taking a jibe at

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

(PTI) in another tweet, she wrote, “Dear PTI I am looking for someone to edit my Book cover....wanna help? (sic)”

The next day, Mufti Ismail Menk — who has more than 3.74 million worldwide followers on Twitter — responded saying, “I’ve never visited Pakistan and I don’t follow it’s politics but one thing I know is ilea laser clinic in Rondebosch CapeTown can sort out your issue... (sic).”

Following the cleric’s reply, Reham tried to clarify her stand saying, “My British humour is misunderstood. There are only a couple of men in my family who do not have beards. I was making a joke about my age & hormones. It’s a medical joke (sic).”

“I only noticed this “medical” humour because it was MY photo that the sister superimposed herself on to. I had no clue who she was until a few hours ago. So I responded with similar humour... lol (sic),” the cleric responded, pushing Reham explaining her position in tweets one after another.

“A political leader (Imran Khan) was caught doing a sajda (prostrating) at a holy shrine. I pointed out that it is wrong as we must only do sajda towards the Qibla (the direction of the

Kaaba

, the sacred building at Mecca, to which Muslims turn at prayer). Since then the abuse has gone up a level. I can only smile in response. May Allah forgive them (sic),” she wrote. “No. I would never dream of doing this. I am currently facing cyber bullying by a political party and they photo shop my pics to abuse & threaten me on a regular basis (sic),” she added.

In yet another tweet, she wrote, “I am grateful to the political party who photo shopped my picture & I get a comment from you sir. I am a huge admirer of your gentle preaching style. Please pray for Pakistan. We are going through a very difficult phase. (sic)”

Reham Khan is already embroiled in a controversy over her upcoming autobiography, which her critics claim is “doctored content” intended to influence the upcoming general elections against her former spouse. The book, scheduled to be published in July or August, reportedly includes details of Reham’s interactions with various celebrities and her marriage with Imran. Some of those details apparently crossed a red line for cricketer Wasim Akram, businessman Zulfikar Bukhari, Reham’s first husband Ijaz Rehman and PTI media coordinator Anila Khawaja.