BTS RM receives severe backlash in an Islamophobic controversy after sharing Frank Ocean’s song on his Instagram story. The artist is usually known for speaking for the youth and his righteous behavior. Due to this, the hashtag ‘RM apologize to Muslims‘ that trended on X (former Twitter) shocked many. Here’s what happened that resulted in public backlash for the artist.
RM hurts Muslim fans’ sentiments by sharing an alleged Islamophobic song
Recently, RM, the leader of K-pop superstars BTS, shared a Frank Ocean song with his fans through his Instagram story. The controversial track is titled Bad Religion from Ocean’s debut studio album Channel Orange.
- For the unversed, there are many claims that this song conveys racist sentiments against Muslim people with its controversial lyrics. So, when BTS RM uploaded the track, many people felt hurt and called him out for behaving without sensitivity.
- Soon afterward, the hashtag ‘RM apologize to Muslims‘ began trending on X, the former blue bird app, demanding remorse from the artist. This trend soon sparked a debate among the fans regarding the song and whether it propagates Islamophobic ideologies.
- Islamophobia means sentiments of prejudice and baseless hate towards Islam and those who practice the religion. This sentiment is usually interconnected with political ideologies falsely accusing religion of promoting violence and terrorism.
ARMYs react to RM sharing Frank Ocean’s Bad Religion
Many fans of the 28-year-old singer took to Twitter to share their reactions. They reprimanded him for sharing the controversial track and accused him of practicing and promoting Islamophobia. They further criticize him for behaving in a manner that was unfit and unacceptable from a representative of UNICEF.
https://twitter.com/Noone_imagine/status/1692000024530411834?t=6gh45mTSFf5xUjs4m0wO0w&s=19
- Some of the ARMYs also claimed that this was the biggest mistake the artist had made to date. They stated that he is a global icon and a representative of his country. The hashtag soon picked up pace as more people joined in to share their opinions and demanded an apology from the singer.
- Meanwhile, some fans came to his defense, sharing that the song Bad Religion isn’t promoting Islamophobia. They shared that the track’s lyrics explore the struggle of a gay person who is part of a religious community. Read the reactions below:
As a Muslim , I'm a BTS army since 4 years and I love BTS more than you can imagine. But this is totally unacceptable. No one can disrespect our Islam . This is the first time I'm hurt by BTS but I do know they can't hurt anyone . Everyone makes mistakes. Rm apologise to Muslims pic.twitter.com/RX4HJJURf8
— Alyza🇵🇰 (@Alminxjimin) August 16, 2023
https://twitter.com/stargguck/status/1691831266742530195?t=ivRl10joXZf6P5WrzRqStA&s=19
One of my friends explained the meaning behind the song "Bad Religion" by Frank Ocean. You should read it before throwing any hate to Namjoon . pic.twitter.com/WMc7xtFxvk
— Eclipse⁷🐹🐱🍉🇧🇪 (@Eclipse_Yoonjin) August 16, 2023
people who speak about the song “bad religion” by frank ocean… I WILL PUT YOU ON. listen to this, if you have no idea what it is about. please, understand it first. this is a very detailed analysis. the lyrical part will be at around the 10min mark. ++https://t.co/vZk1JrZCjW
— agust DAKS (@dailyagustDAKS) August 16, 2023
Does Frank Ocean’s Bad Religion criticize Islam?
Frank Ocean’s Bad Religion, often mistaken as an Islamophobic track, released in 2012. It is a song that explores unrequited love and religious struggles. The song’s title and the lyrics that include the Arabic phrase Allahu Akbar, which translates to ‘God is great’ often garners misunderstandings.
So, in short, Bad Religion, was not written as an attack against Islam or Muslims, but towards religious extremists as a whole. End of thread. Follow me if you enjoyed ✌🏼😊
— Frank Ocean Updates (@blahnded) August 16, 2023
- The phrase itself, which has a pure meaning, has gained a bad image in public who don’t know its meaning due to its frequent insensitive reproduction in media. However, the song uses the phrase to convey that although the singer believes in the Almighty, his s*xuality isn’t accepted in the religion.
- Ocean uses a makeup conversation with a taxi driver to convey this sentiment, often interpreted as him singing Islam is a bad religion. This particular part of the song has often garnered the singer, and his listeners backlash over the years.
- Many religions do not accept LGBTQ+ in the community, and Frank Ocean takes the example of Islam. Moreover, Ocean is credited as one of the first HipHop singers that discussed the struggles of same-s*x attractions in the genre.
What is your opinion about Frank Ocean’s song Bad Religion? Share with us in the comments below. For more content, stay with us here at Spiel Times. Make sure you subscribe to our push notifications and never miss an update. You can also follow us on Spiel Anime, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Until next time!
