Deeyah, a pop star dubbed the "Muslim Madonna," has been forced to hire bodyguards for her tour of Britain after receiving death threats over her video, which features her stripping off her veil to reveal her bikini-clad body.

The singer, reported to be of Asian descent, will be in Britain to promote a new single and video, reported the British newspaper The Independent.

Deeyah

Shot in the United States and in India, the video also features Irshad Manji, a Toronto-based feminist Muslim writer, ripping off a strip of tape that covers her mouth.

"My core message in this video is the right of a woman to choose her own path and express herself without the fear of violence or cultural excommunication," the singer says.

One Asian music TV channel in Britain has already pulled the plug on the video after its employees were apparently threatened.

"A lot of us are working for women’s rights, particularly in the Muslim world. I think we have more self-respect than to dance around naked to make our point," said Hoda Fahmy, who works with an education group for Muslim women in Canada.

The Muslim Council of Britain felt the need to make a public statement about the matter, declaring that she was probably a Hindu.

"Her real name is Deepika Thathaal. That’s certainly not a Muslim name," said an MCB spokesman. "Our suspicion is that this is all a big publicity stunt."