Egyptian comedian Shady Srour, best known for his sarcastic videos released since 2012, has sparked controversy on social media once again, this time through a Facebook post in which he announcing he would leave Islam and officially become an atheist.
“I left Islam because of racism and cruelty in the hearts of people who are supposed to believe in God but in fact, they are a bunch of insincere hypocrites,”, Srour explained, blaming Islam specifically for the suicidal thoughts he went through.
The post drew in wide attention, receiving a variety of comments and reactions. Commenters were split between attacking Srour and supporting him, such as TV presenter Sherif Madkour, himself a victim of bullying.
“So you didn’t understand what Islam is as you didn’t read, ignore people with shallow minds, be yourself and trust your believes, God be with you,” Madkour wrote.
Srour backtracked in a 15-minute video, speaking of love for God and people. He then clarified that Islam is completely innocent from all the hatred and bullies he has faced from fake people who pretend to be real Muslims.
He also expressed shock over the endless threats he received immediately after the announcement.
The 24-year-old comedian previously posted a video in October 2018 declaring he would commit suicide due to excessive cyberbullying, which quickly went viral. The video brought accusations of attention-seeking but also concerns it was a cry for help, opening up a conversation on Egyptian social media regarding suicide and cyber-bullying.
