Arab girl's tweet on hijab, her father's response go viral

Top Stories

Embracing the bright side: A guide on how to cultivate optimism

The power of solitude: Why you should go on a solo trip

How to get your kids to read: Essential tips for parents

Arab girls tweet on hijab, her fathers response go viral

Pennsylvania - She received overwhelming support on social media.

By Web Report

Published: Wed 19 Apr 2017, 10:27 AM

Last updated: Wed 19 Apr 2017, 6:07 PM

When Lamyaa Alshehri, a 17-year-old girl residing in Pennsylvania, tweeted her father seeking his opinion on whether she could remove her hijab, she never imagined the overwhelming attention that their conversation would grab. The tweets between the duo have now gone viral across the social media.
After an internet troll waged a bet that her father 'would beat her up' if she took it off, Lamyaa texted her father to know what he felt. The father replied:

"Sweetheart, that's not my decision to make. That's no man's decision to make. If it's what you feel like you want to do, go ahead. I'll support you no matter what."

Lamyaa tweeted saying she isn't actually planning to do away with her hijab. "Since this is a mentality a lot of you seem to have," she said in her tweet. She attached screenshots of both the rude text she received and the exchange she had with her father.

She first tweeted on April 15 and her tweets have received overwhelming support.
Lamyaa later told the BBC that she did not actually intend to take her scarf off: "It was never part of the plan. I just wanted to prove a point."

Lamyaa said:
"I had very strong views considering the impact the Trump presidency has on me because I am an Arab, Muslim woman. I brought up the fact that I was Muslim [in the group chat] and that guy didn't feel comfortable so he said what he said."
"When I saw how sweet my dad's response was I felt that this proved something; it proved that misconceptions are often made about people who end up being the exact opposite."

Many people have commented on Lamyaa's tweet.
Here's what others are saying about her tweet:

@lxmyaa I love your dad and I love you, thank you for share this and teach us about your religion and life! ????
- 15 (@THEATERAUHLAVON) April 16, 2017

@lxmyaa When I first decided to take it off and I told my dad he said "I never made you put it on and I'm not gonna make you keep it. Your decision"
- Sarah (@sarahserhane) April 15, 2017

@lxmyaa So because you're not oppressed, therefore no one is oppressed...so the countless of girls (like myself) who do want to take it off, but
- Fateemz (@athenaaaaaa777) April 15, 2017

@lxmyaa @HuntTheBookJunk Can we all just talk about how their dad assumed something (bad) had happened? That's so telling - look at the world we've created.
- Wesley (@trufactswessel) April 16, 2017