YouTuber Chunkz has sparked controversy after saying he would disown his child for “leaving the religion” of Islam, which he is a proud follower of.

The internet-turned-television star, who is part of the much-loved Beta Squad on YouTube (which boasts over 10 million subscribers), has remained vocal about his faith and Somali heritage throughout his career. 

Chunkz, whose real name is Amin Mohamed, previously described the day he told his Somali parents he was dropping out of college to become a full-time YouTuber as the “scariest day of [his] life.” Speaking to The Guardian, the first-generation British Somali recalled:

“I remember waking up for a lecture during the first few weeks of university, and I genuinely stared at my ceiling for 45 minutes, near tears, just thinking: I can’t do this. I had this pressure [weighing on me] that my parents wouldn’t accept me leaving.”

While appearing on the podcast What’s Your Mo?, Chunkz was asked by grime legend and podcast host Chip: “What is the one thing that would make you disown your child?”

The 29-year-old’s response sparked backlash when he replied:

“I can forgive a lot when it comes to my own yute. Something mental… Leaving the religion… You can’t do that one there. You know what I mean.”

The interviewer, Chip, no stranger to the power of public perception, sought clarification and gave Chunkz a chance to dig himself out of a hole, asking: 

“So if he wanted to not be Muslim, you would disown him?”

Chunkz, who has over 4.6 million followers on Instagram, 3.6 million on YouTube, and more than 6 million on TikTok, responded:

“Yes. I would say, ‘Yo, that can’t run for me.’ You know what I mean?”

“Don’t get it twisted. You can leave, but you can also come back, you get it? But I feel like leaving the fold of Islam — I can’t par with you, man. You know what I mean.”

“I know I’ll always have that unconditional love. But I feel like having that want to love this person without being under the fold of Islam — I can’t par with that, man.”

Despite Chip’s reassurance that Chunkz had made a “good argument,” much of the internet disagreed. One observer noted that, despite describing his love for his child as unconditional, Chunkz added the condition that they must always follow Islam.

After facing a wave of backlash online, Chunkz took to the internet once again with a typically humorous yet reflective response. He wrote:

“Meh, maybe shoulda worded it differently. Maybe my perspective will change. God knows. What I do know is it’s crazy how MY OWN OPINION ABOUT MY IMAGINARY KIDS can anger people.”

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