Jewish Canadian Elan Bibas and Palestinian American Huda Mustafa shared a kiss on Love Island USA. While the popular reality TV show has regularly aired public displays of affection, this kiss was met with significant public outrage.
Bibas, a 24-year-old tech consultant, shared a smooch with Mustafa in Casa Amor after Mustafa was challenged to kiss two islanders she thought would be the best kissers. Bibas was her first pick.
Bibas had only visited Israel a handful of times before the October 7 massacre, which kickstarted almost two years of war against Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other Iran-backed militia and terror groups in the region, according to The Jewish Chronicle. He has reportedly never served in the IDF and is not an Israeli citizen, despite rumors circulating to the contrary.
While he grew up in Ontario, Bibas moved to Florida last year and has previously held membership in a reform synagogue in Toronto.
Responding to the hate
The influx of hate since the kiss led Love Island to post on Instagram: "We appreciate the fans, the passion for the series, and the amazing group of Islanders who are sharing their summer with us.
"Please just remember they’re real people – so let’s be kind and spread the love!”
Ariana Madix, the show’s host, also broadcasted: “I do want to say something to some of those people that are online. Don’t be contacting people’s families. Don’t be doxxing people. Don’t be going on Islander’s pages and saying rude things. You still have time to delete all of that, because the Islanders don’t have their phones, so we’re giving you a chance.”
Noah Sheline, Mustafa's ex-partner and father to her child, also defended Mustafa, according to People Magazine, after she received hate for a previous coupling.
"She’s maybe not doing a great job, idk I don’t watch the show, but I don’t like that I’m seeing so much negative s*** on my page or even clips of it about her,” Sheline wrote. "It’s not my job to police her or the people in my comments, but I will say what you guys do will affect her mental health and my daughter’s maybe in the future."
He continued, "So I’m looking out for her in that aspect. Out of respect for our daughter."
Sheline added that it's "crazy I have to involve myself in this, but I don’t want my daughter’s mom to get out and see this and her mental health goes down a hill."
He concluded his post by asking fans to "be nice."
"It’s a TV show," he said. "Y’all are watching people date. I don’t think it’s that serious to put someone down a hole of bullying. Regardless of how ridiculous she might be or seem.”