Muslim woman defuses anti-Islam rally outside mosque by giving protester a hug

A photo of a Muslim woman approaching an anti-Islam protester outside a Ohio mosque and giving her a hug in a universal show of friendship has gone viral.

The photo of the spontaneous gesture, which shows Cynthia Eugenia Cox de Boutinkhar – in her headscarf – hugging the woman, was uploaded on October 11.

The lone protester, identified as “Annie”, appeared outside Noor Islamic Cultural Centre in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday as part of world-wide anti-Islam rallies.

In what could have otherwise been a highly-charged encounter, Ms de Boutinkhar approached Annie with arms outstretched and asked if she could give her a hug.

The woman, somewhat taken back by the request, nevertheless agreed.

“She was super tense, kind of shaking,” Ms de Boutinkhar told The Columbus Dispatch.

“I grabbed her — I don’t know why I did this — and her whole body just relaxed like a noodle. I backed away from her a little bit, and she smiled.”

Ms de Boutinkhar told the woman “I’m an American, too”, before inviting her inside the centre for a glass of water.

“I’ll stay right with you. I promise. I’ll stay right by your side,” she told her.

Annie agreed to accompany Ms de Boutinkhar into the centre, where the two were greeted by a round of applause from members of an interfaith group already gathered within.

She was then given a tour and spoke with mosque leaders for almost two hours before leaving with a copy of the Islam holy book, the Quran.

Ms de Boutinkhar says she is not sure what motivated her to try and defuse the situation with a hug.

“Normally, I don’t go up to somebody who despises me and give them a hug,” she said.

“Something just came across me. Allah? I don’t know.”

Ms de Boutinkhar said she hopes to continue fostering the spirit of friendship with a new hashtag #huglife.