A photo of a young woman in a hijab flashing a peace sign in front of anti-Muslim protesters is going viral and inspiring messages of hope and kindness.
Shaymaa Ismaa’eel, 24, has gone viral after she shared a post of herself posing proudly while wearing a grin and her hijab in front of a group of anti-Muslim protesters in Washington, D.C.
Shaymaa, who works as a behavioral therapist for children with autism, told BuzzFeed that most other people at the convention were getting upset about the protesters standing directly outside the building
“On April 21st I smiled in the face of bigotry and walked away feeling the greatest form of accomplishment,” she wrote on Twitter.
On April 21st I smiled in the face of bigotry and walked away feeling the greatest form of accomplishment. pic.twitter.com/Dbrtk7MDAw
— شيماء (@ShaymaaDarling) April 23, 2019
Ironically, the sign also references John 3:10, which reads: ‘This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.’
Shaymaa said that when she first passed by them on Saturday to head into the convention — which featured speakers, shopping, food, a ‘kids’ wonderland,’ entertainment, and even a basketball competition — she simply made sure they saw her face while she walked by.
Isamaa’eel told BuzzFeed News that she was harassed with hate speech like, “Your face should be covered!” as she posed, but that she brushed it off – and even found it funny.
The photo currently has more than 200,000 likes on Twitter, 190,000+ on instagram and has inspired dozens of messages of support.
