M’sian Tik Tok Influencer Who Converted Stranger Into Islam Receives Backlash for Irresponsibility
In a world where influencers are taking centre stage when it comes to platforms that are mostly frequented by impressionable youths, it’s vital that we monitor the content that is being put out.
These influencers, more often that not, are seen as idols and their actions have a serious impact towards their young audience.
While most public figures on the internet are utilising their platforms for good by advocating for environmental issues and highlighting various injustices within the country, some are simply taking advantage of their fame to further boost their image online.
Take for example the latest controversy surrounding Tik Tok influencer Aisar Khaled, who previously angered the internet when he exploited the death of beloved singer, Siti Sarah.
Now, he is seen turning over a new leaf and distancing himself from his previous Fboy image on the popular video app by preaching religion on the streets to complete strangers.
The video has since gone viral and garnered the inverse response to what he probably intended. Watch it below:
Doq, cuba comment sikit pasal video ni. Aku rasa rasa mcm ada potensi utk viral video ni pic.twitter.com/J2DESRRhOC
— Kagemane no Jutsu (@Najmi__Haikal) September 26, 2021
In the video, he is seen preaching to an Indian man who has his arms crossed.
He mentions the afterlife and how the world we live in now is only temporary. It is important to note that he tries to engage with the man he is speaking to but he never gets a response save for a few nods of the head.
He then continues to convert the man, asking him to recite several necessary phrases before giving him a hug in the end.
Many believe that his actions are not only irresponsible, but extremely offensive as well. He implies that other religions will not go to heaven and in a culture of various creeds and religions, this statement definitely did not bode well with non-Muslims.
Here are a few of the comments:
— Apilah🇲🇾✨ (@HazieqApilah) September 26, 2021
In terms of being irresponsible, many pointed out his lack of credibility to be preaching religion especially since he has no background or qualifications of that sort.
Since he was formerly known for posting videos on Tik Tok, many believe he is not in the right place to be converting strangers into Islam.
Conversion is a huge responsibility. In Malaysia, interfaith couples face the turmoil of having to convert into the religion in order to marry thus surfacing several other issues that lead to the erasure of the non-Muslim partner’s own faith and potentially, their identity.
It is not something to be taken lightly for the sake of a Tik Tok video.
Guiding someone into Islam cannot be done overnight, so it naturally cannot happen over the span of a few minutes. Netizens began to question if Aisar was willing to follow the journey of the person he converted and not leave him to fend for himself.
In a live video following the aforementioned viral Tik Tok, Aisar was seen asking his followers to pray for the man in hopes that he will fully embrace Islam. He then says he will check-up on him at a later time because he is currently “too busy” for that.
Watch it below:
“india ke cina yang lupa agama” saya nak tanya pendapat, boleh ke cakap macam ni? sebab saya rasa dia ni tak respect agama lain. this way so problematic and si aisar ni being so disrespectful. maaf kalau saya silap. pic.twitter.com/c5ZWCQrXBe
— AL (@0sss7s) September 26, 2021
Are prayers enough or does it take more than that for a person to fully commit to a religion? If the people who have been practicing Islam can fall short of their deeds at times, how can we expect someone who converted the night before without any knowledge of the religion whatsoever to know exactly what to do?
Isn’t it Aisar’s duty to guide him since he is the one who converted him? Or is he too busy making new content on Tik Tok to bother with what he just did?
Stroking one’s ego is a detestable habit, yet we see it all the time with people who have accumulated a following on the internet.
While preaching (known as dakwah) is part of Islam, it is up to the individual whether or not they choose to embrace Islam. Trapping someone who seems to have no idea what they’re getting into detracts from that.