Actor Aamir Khan broke silence on his recent wedding to entrepreneur Gauri Spratt after it drew criticism from political figures. Minister of Ports Development of Maharashtra Nitesh Rane labelled the marriage “love jihad”, whereas Maulana Ibrahim Hussain, the Shahi Chief Mufti of the Muslim Personal Darul Ifta, issued a fatwa against Khan.

Responding to these allegations Khan told Rediff, “The truth is that ours is a very inclusive family. Both my sisters are married to Hindus; my daughter is also married to a Hindu. My cousin Mansoor is married to a Christian,” clarifying that neither of his ex-wives — Reena Dutta (married in 1986) and Kiran Rao (married in 2005) — nor Gauri converted to Islam, because all three marriages were civil.

As per the fatwa, Ifta stated that a Muslim man cannot marry a non-Muslim woman under Sharia law unless she converts to Islam, calling the marriage “impermissible”. “Gauri is not even Hindu, she is Christian, and not even a practicing Christian at that. Life is getting more comical as time passes,” Khan added.

The couple had a private wedding at his Mumbai residence on July 5, registered under the Special Marriage Act. It was attended by around 150 guests, including his children Junaid Khan, Ira Khan and Azad Rao Khan, as well as Gauri’s son Quinn.