The Dixie Chicks have voiced support for beseiged cleric Sheikh Mahal, following his controversial speech at a mosque last month in which he made an unfortunate analogy that suggested women invited rape. The country singers have expressed their concern at the disproportionate media and community outrage, saying they empathise.”We know what it’s like to say something in front of a small crowd that totally gets blown out of proportion,” lead singer Natalie Maines said.

The singer got herself and her bandmates into trouble in 2004 when she lamented that they came from the same US state as President George Bush, who was leading the country into a doomed war in Iraq at the time.

“We’ve experienced the backlash, the death threats and the judgments. It threatened our careers, but we’re back and stronger than ever, and we know Sheikh Mahal will be too.”

Maines said the group is working on a version of Not Ready to Make Nice, the first single off their latest album Taking The Long Way, for the leader.

“We’ll take out the instruments and put in drums and change the words so that they’re more specific to his predicament.”

A spokesman for the Sheikh said he was flattered by the support and appreciated the gesture, despite not being familiar with the group’s music.

The cleric was subjected to intense media and public scrutiny when his sermon was reported in media, despite his apology for the incident. He says his biggest regret is that people are now referring to clerics as “shakes”.