Shihab Chottur, the 32-year-old Kerala vlogger who undertook a remarkable 370-day journey on foot from Malappuram to Mecca, faced severe backlash on Tuesday after expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a now-deleted Facebook post.
Chottur, who successfully completed his pilgrimage to Mecca, initially posted an 11-word message alongside a picture of himself with his children dressed as Ram and Sita, stating, “Thanks | Modi sir| I am proud to be an Indian Musalman” (sic). However, the post was swiftly removed an hour later as he encountered criticism from a substantial portion of his 7.71 lakh followers.
In a subsequent post, Chottur offered a detailed explanation for his initial message and issued an apology for the lack of context. He clarified that he had thanked the prime minister because Modi had liked one of his previous posts showcasing an event, which subsequently went viral after being shared by national celebrities. Chottur expressed his surprise and gratitude that the country’s leader would acknowledge a common man like himself.
Chottur emphasized that his post had no connection to the Ayodhya issue and asserted his refusal to surrender to fascism. He acknowledged the unpredictable nature of social media reactions and highlighted that people often respond without knowing the full truth. Apologizing for the misleading post, he reassured his followers of his commitment to opposing fascism and expressed his love for the Prophet.
During his epic journey, Shihab Chottur covered a distance of 8,640 km, passing through Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and finally reaching Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The vlogger, hailing from Valanchery in Malappuram district, commenced his trek on June 2, 2022, and successfully concluded it in June 2023.
Chottur’s pilgrimage took him through several Indian states before reaching the Wagah border to enter Pakistan. However, his progress was temporarily halted when immigration authorities at the border discovered he lacked a visa. After waiting for months, he secured a transit visa in February 2023, allowing him to continue his journey and reach Mecca four months later.
