Banks, who has long been notorious for provocative social media postings and has rarely voiced remorse, offered her "sincerest apologies to the world" in a posting on Instagram, where her account remains active.
"Employing racial/sexual slurs/stereotypes in attempts to make fun of or degrade another person or group is not fair or fun for anyone," wrote Banks, who performed yesterday in Istanbul.
"Allowing my anger to get the best of me, I've managed to insult millions of people without reason. And for that I give my deepest apologies," she wrote late Saturday.
Banks on one point gloated that the US military would kill the family of Zayn, a Briton who is partially of Pakistani descent and is one of the most high-profile Muslims in Western pop culture.
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Twitter suspended her account on Thursday, pointing to its policy against "abusive tweets and behavior."
Banks initially defended herself, suggesting that she was singled out as an African American woman and saying she was upset that Zayn -- who has gone only by his first name since leaving the boy band -- refused to engage with her over her criticism.
She said she was repeating a joke from her native New York -- where nearly half of cab drivers were born in Bangladesh, India or Pakistan -- that taxis smelled like curry.
"I feel compelled to clear the air with curry itself because that's a bridge I don't want to burn. I still want to be able to enjoy it freely without guilt or judgment," she wrote.