A Muslim contestant has left The Island with Bear Grylls-saying seeing girl co-stars in bikinis went against his faith.
Rizwan Shabir, 27, storms off tonight’s episode of the Channel 4 survival series after the half-naked women prove too much for him.
Female contestants including rugby streaker Erika Roe and barmaid Tilly Martin have been seen wearing just their swimsuits throughout the programme.
But phone shop owner Riz, from Bradford, decided to leave the series after 11 days.
Explaining his decision, he said: “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I’m struggling.
“At the end of the day I am a Muslim — I’m not used to living with women who are half-naked. This is harder than what I thought it would be.”
He later added: “Basically I’m around a group of women who are half-naked, which in my religion and culture I shouldn’t really be.”
As a practising Muslim, Riz was shown taking time away from his fellow contestants and praying five times a day while on the island.
He also admitted in the opening episode he hoped to be a positive role model for the Muslim community throughout the programme.
He said: “I’m a young British Muslim. I think I’ve got a lot to prove because I’m not only representing myself but I’m representing a community.
“On The Island I understand everything is going to be stripped down and that’s the exciting thing about it.
“I think it will help me get closer to my religion.”
Last week saw war heroine Cpl Hannah Campbell leave the show after she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and flashbacks following a storm.
The mum of two, 31, told The Sun: “This is a seriously dangerous show — you’re being put in a really, really brutal survival situation.
“But we all know the risks going into that programme. We go through rigorous health and safety checks to avoid bad things happening.”
The Sun UK
