Naughty Boy defends Zayn Malik's controversial tweet

British producer Naughty Boy has defended pop star Zayn Malik for writing a 'Free Palestine' message online, insisting he was only trying to raise awareness.

The songwriter became friends with the One Direction singer after they met at the Brit Awards this year (14).

On Monday (28Jul14), the pair was working on a new track in a studio when they decided to write on Twitter.com about the Middle East conflict.

Both sent "#freePalestine" messages and Malik came under fire from his followers, but the producer - real name Shahid Khan - denies they were taking sides in the conflict and insists they just wanted to make their fans aware of the situation.

Khan tells BBC's Asian Network radio, "It's about being a humanitarian... We are educated on the subject and the history of Palestine; so we have a responsibility as we are creating an awareness about highlighting children dying... Zayn's biggest fan base is teenage girls so it's good to highlight.

"It's just more about being a human being. If I saw that going on in Israel (I'd do the same), the amount of women and children being killed, that is just too shocking."