When protesters tried to denigrate Islam at a Muslim convention over the weekend, one Muslim woman decided to respond to their bigotry by flashing a big smile and a peace sign ― creating a moment that has gone viral on social media. Shaymaa Ismaa’eel told HuffPost that the anti-Muslim protesters were the first thing she spotted when she arrived for the Islamic Circle of North America convention in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. The protesters were standing between the convention center’s buildings, holding signs disparaging her faith and its founder, the Prophet Muhammad, the 24-year-old said. Most people just walked by without giving them any attention.”Ismaa’eel said the protesters stayed in her mind as she attended the convention’s workshops. She told The Guardian she wanted the protesters to “see my joy.”“I wanted them to see the smile on my face, and see how happy I was to be me and walk around being a Muslim woman,” she said.

Source: Huffington Post April 25, 2019 02:57 UTC