M.I.A sparks outrage with comments on ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement

"It's not a new thing to me..."

The Anglo-Sri Lankan rapper is known for controversial comments about social issues that she believes needs attention – such as the refugee crisis, homelessness, and civilians in war.  She recently released Borders, a song that excited a lot of media controversy as M.I.A. made it clear that she is pro-refugee. Considering her dedication to suffering minorities, the rapper made a slight faux-pas when it came to her thoughts on the movement Black Lives Matter.  #BlackLivesMatter originated in 2012 after the shocking case of Trayvon Martin, where Martin's murderer George Zimmerman was acquitted of his crime and Martin was posthumously placed on trial for his own murder. The movement has strived since 2012 in validifying black lives and shedding light on the racism that is still embedded in society. However, in a recent interview with the English Standard, when asked about Beyoncé's recent SuperBowl halftime performance, M.I.A confessed: "It’s interesting that in America the problem you’re allowed to talk about is Black Lives Matter. It's not a new thing to me... Is Beyoncé or Kendrick Lamar going to say Muslim Lives Matter? Or Syrian Lives Matter? Or this kid in Pakistan matters? That’s a more interesting question." She angered many Twitter users with her comments:

M.I.A talked negatively about #BlackLivesMatter as if we dont regularly speak out about islamophobia.

— Izanagi. (@johnnyShady_) April 21, 2016

M.I.A didn't need to malign #blacklivesmatter to make her point. But I'm not buying the anti-solidarity argument. We need internationalism — KK (@redoakland1917) April 21, 2016

Her comments seem to contradict themselves and we're not sure how to feel. Get it together M.I.A!

Images via YouTube