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Muslims from the United States take part in #MuslimAmericanFaces

Social media selfies tell a little bit about those practicing Islam

CNN  — 

Twitter was flooded with selfies on Wednesday (like any other day), but in this case some of those had a deeper meaning behind them.

Early in the day, the hashtag #MuslimAmericanFaces emerged, in an apparent response to – among other stories in the news lately – the recent controversy surrounding presidential candidate Donald Trump’s suggestion to put a stop to Muslim entry to the United States.

It looks as though the Brookings Institution’s Benjamin Wittes may have gotten the ball rolling:

Muslims (predominantly women, for what it’s worth) from around the country followed suit, posting pictures of themselves with a little information about themselves, along with the challenge to “share three more” photos.

Many spread a positive message about what it’s like to be a Muslim in the United States, with a little bit of humor: “We’re not bad folks. We just wear long shirts from time to time,” said Libyan American Alex Sayf Cummings.

There were also a lot of millennials who pointed to their aspirations and an interest in education.

(And this being social media, there were a few detractors pointing to the terror attacks like last week’s in San Bernardino.)

Wittes did not respond to CNN’s attempts to find out what inspired the hashtag.