In the current political climate where Somali-American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is the target of Islamophobia, people are using this piece of clothing to stand against it. Under the “Phenomenal Woman” campaign which supports women of all races everywhere in making a bold statement, the “Phenomenally Muslim” t-shirt is acting as a conversation-starter on the treatment of Muslims in the US.
Olympian fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad shared a photo of herself in the t-shirt on Instagram, as an act of support for Omar. She wrote, “When you incite violence against Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, you incite violence against our entire community. We won’t be silenced and we won’t be broken. We stand with you @ilhanmn. Who can be against us when Allah is with us?”
English actor of Pakistani descent, Riz Ahmed also called for more non-Muslim allies for Muslims wearing the t-shirt in an Instagram post. “There’s something phenomenally wrong in our society when politicians and media outlets can spout anti-Muslim hate with no consequences aside from more votes and increased sales. This has to stop. And it can, but Muslims need more non-Muslim allies. To confront Islamaphobia wherever you see it, to speak out against the incitement of violence against us as a group and against individuals like Ilhan Omar,” he wrote.
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