The recent Paris attacks have caused another round of hate attacks against the Muslim community and one man's response to this has made people rethink their views on terrorism.
A Muslim man stood blindfolded in Paris' Place de la Republique during the gathering of mourners to honor the 129 victims who were killed after a series of terror attacks on Nov. 13. Beside the man was a signage where these words were written: "I'm a Muslim and I'm told I'm a terrorist. I trust you. Do you trust me? If yes, hug me."
In a video footage, a lot of people who attended the commemoration approached the Muslim man and gave him a tight embrace. Others took it to another level and whispered a few words in his ears. People could only speculate as to what they told him but based on his reactions and theirs, they were probably words of kindness and comfort.
Soon after the news broke about what the Muslim man did, other Muslims in Paris did the same. One man from the same footage even said he was a refugee from Syria and had a sign with French written on it that translates to "I am Muslim but not a terrorist. We love you." He received hugs not just from Parisians but from fellow Muslims as well.
Such gestures from the Muslim community surfaced following another onslaught of Muslim-hating from some Westerners after what happened to Paris. However, it should be noted that like the Parisians who gave hugs to the blindfolded Muslim man, there are Western citizens too who are not bigots and are ready to defend Muslims from slurs of hate.
One such person is Ashley Powys, a resident of London who came to the aid of a Muslim girl when she was being attacked with hateful words by a man in the train. He shared the details of the encounter through a Facebook post, which quickly became viral.