Former “I-LAND” Contestant Receives Massive Backlash Over Islamophobic Post
Former I-LAND contestant and current soloist Kyu (formerly known as Daniel) has sparked massive outrage with his inappropriate social media post recently.
Kyu recently shared a few photos on Instagram, supposedly as memes. The first photo, featuring a tattoo of a person riding a camel, mentions Islam in the punchline. The next picture was of a collapsing building.
The use of these two specific photos consecutively stood out to many as an insensitive stereotyping of Islam. Initially, when backlash started pouring, Kyu edited the post to exclude the first picture. Netizens kept calling him out regardless, demanding an apology. However, the singer only briefly clarified that his intention was not to spread hate.
at least apologize or explain what was the thought process of posting these instead of editing ur post and being silent https://t.co/oG6c9eRXhC pic.twitter.com/YL20dnQais
— safa pl☆y the beat ! (@dollysaf) October 2, 2025
islamaphobia is so normalized these days… pic.twitter.com/H2xC3UQ7CT
— ً (@enhoonbot) October 2, 2025
.@kyuded you are sick in the fucking head. pic.twitter.com/QfDw9Ep8eL
— ❦ (@heerckstar) October 2, 2025
How does hybe bag all these islamophobic, misogynist, homophobic all under them https://t.co/nqyqjCifhe
— bob (@bobCplanet) October 3, 2025
Kyu later deleted the post altogether and issued a longer statement, apologizing for the “discomfort and harm” caused by the post. He claimed that he posted the images without fully understanding the context and that the photo was related to “an artist named Salem” who had “personally influenced” him.
— kyu (@kyuded) October 3, 2025
Despite the apology, the anger toward the idol appears to be growing from K-Pop fans all across the globe.
man.. yk what? fuck u, u're not even accountable w ur actions, u're jst making up excuses, yk damn well what u were posting, u're not a child. https://t.co/iww0GuRsvs
— acey (@jcey_v) October 3, 2025
it's so fucking embarrassing. https://t.co/0RmJOoHSOl
— anna 𖦹 (@4dryfleur) October 3, 2025
tone deaf asffffff boooooooooooo https://t.co/0RmJOoHSOl
— anna 𖦹 (@4dryfleur) October 3, 2025
Meanwhile, Kyu participated in the popular survival show, I-LAND, in 2020 and made it to the final 12. However, he didn’t make it to the final lineup, which went on to become the majorly successful HYBE boy group, ENHYPEN. In 2025, Kyu made his solo debut under NAISU Agency and released his first digital single, “Tempo,” in March.
