Youtuber Sham Idrees recently claimed he faced Islamophobia at Demetres, Oakville. However, the smear campaign seems to have royally backfired on him.
The Play By Play
On the 6th of September, Youtuber Sham Idrees posted a clip to his social media accounts of an incident of alleged Islamophobia he and his family experienced at Demetres restaurant in Oakville, Canada. The TLDR (too long didn’t read) version of the event was: Sham and his family went to Demetres near closing time, even though they had a reservation but their booth was given to someone else and they had to clamour for tables to accommodate their large group. They asked permission to join two tables together for a better dining experience, were granted permission, but were later asked to move to another table because they were making other customers uncomfortable. Then they were asked to leave and even the police were called. Sham Idrees then went online and expressed how he was upset at the blatant Islamophobia he had experienced and how the staff had refused to serve them because they had hijabis accompanying them.
The restaurant soon after posted a clarification on Instagram explaining how it had been a misunderstanding between Sham Idrees & co. and the employees and that an investigation regarding the incident was underway.
After the video went viral and Canadians began tweeting about boycotting Demetres, Oakville – many were sceptical about the turn of events and Sham’s claims since the video posted as evidence was choppily edited, the audio was overlayed with music and the context couldn’t be deciphered. Many were quick to call out Sham for skewing the narrative because to most, it just seemed like bad customer service and calling it Islamophobia was a stretch by anyone’s imagination. However, Sham was quick to respond and came out with another video explaining his side of things.
Like always, Twitter had A LOT to say over the past two days as the situation unfolded:
Interesting Questions Were Raised
Some People Even Pointed Out Various Hijabis Dining Peacefully While Sham Idrees Was Crying Wolf About Islamophobia
Many Pointed Out How Labelling Everything As Islamophobia actually Undermines The Experience Of Those Who Face It On The Daily
Many Accused Sham Of using Islamophobia For Clout & Are Demanding That He Aplogize
However, Most People Weren’t Surprised That This Was Once Again, An Over-Exaggeration Of Facts For Internet Fame
The Age Old Question Of Morality Vs. Fame
This entire debacle has highlighted the moral dilemma many influencers face in today’s day and age, where misconstruing the truth gets them fame and celebrity but they often forget that the internet never forgets and theirs isn’t the only version that most people are going to buy. Corroboration of facts exists, and it’s always a good idea to not take all of your fights and petty grievances to the internet. Some things are just better resolved in private, without blowing them out of proportion in an attempt to defame a group of people/franchise. We hope influencers learn the pitfalls of leading pitchfork mobs against others because sometimes they can turn on you…
