M.I.A. to attend Bruno Mars' Super Bowl halftime show in spite of NFL Lawsuit

M.I.A. is being sued by the NFL for flipping the bird at cameras during her performance with Madonna. M.I.A. has repeatedly called the lawsuit ridiculous and now claims that the gesture was a religious symbol.

So you were not giving America the middle finger? This was the Matangi symbol?

M.I.A.: Yes. Do you like that? (Laughing) It's good, isn't it?

Something tells me that there might have been another meaning in that.
M.I.A.: It's cultural! In my country, it's godly. OK?

Is the NFL believing that? I know they're suing you.
M.I.A.: Of course the NFL is not believing that, because the NFL does not believe in any other culture outside of the NFL. But it's true; you can Wikipedia it. You can just say "Matangi" and "mudra," and you'll see it's the middle finger.

And the NFL's suit has done little to curb Maya's controversial actions. She recently kicked off a show in support of her new album Matangi with a message from Julian Assange, who calls M.I.A. a "megaphone for the truth."