Muslim woman's picture with anti-Islam protesters goes viral!

• Her picture has been liked over 300,000 times on Twitter.

A 24-year-old Muslim woman in the US is winning the internet after her picture with anti-Islam protesters went viral. Shaymaa Ismaa'eel said she posed for a picture with the protesters as she wanted to "combat their hatred with love and a smile". Her picture, which shows her wearing a hijab and flashing the peace sign has been liked over 300,000 times.

"The reaction to all this has been crazy, it's overwhelming. I have had a lot of support," BBC quoted Ismaa'eel as saying. The viral picture was taken in Washington DC where she was one of the 24,000 Muslims attending the 44th annual Muslim American Society and the Islamic Circle of North America (MAS-ICNA) Convention in the US capital.

Ismaa'eel, who lives on the US east coast and works with children with autism, said, "The event was a big turnout, nice environment but when we got their we noticed there were protesters standing on the sidewalk. The first day we saw them we just kept our distance, they were shouting and holding signs so we filmed them from afar."

She also mentioned that the protesters were using loudspeakers to deliver anti-Islamic messages.

Ismaa'eel said that after seeing the protesters several times throughout the three-day event, she decided to take a stand.

"There's a saying from our Prophet: 'Smile is charity' and that's just me personally anyway always smiling. I asked my friend to take a picture. I wanted them to see me smile and see the love, I wanted to combat their hatred with love and a smile," she added.