A high school student who was photographed in front of the New York Stock Exchange, has become the poster child for protests against U.S. President Donald Trump. The New Yorker was photographed almost a decade ago.
32-year-old Bangladeshi-American interpreter from Queens, Munira Ahmed, posed for an independent magazine called "Illume". The magazine features articles of Muslim-American issues. The portrait was captured by photographer, Ridwan Adhami, presenting a striking image of Ahmed in hijab, fashioning an American flag, according to Fox News.
The photographer collaborated with Shepard Fairy, the artist that worked on the iconic 2008 “Hope” poster portraying Barack Obama. They also joined hands with a non-profit organisation called Amplifier Foundation to produce Ahmed’s poster as part of the organisation’s “We the People” campaign.
Ahmed told CNN that she had "mixed feelings" about becoming the face of anti-Trump movement. She said it felt “surreal” to her, seeing people around the nation carrying placards of her image.
As she marched at the Women's March on the National Mall the next day, Ahmed began to understand the scope of the whole movement. She made mention of the many non-Muslim women who were holding her poster despite their ethnicities. "They had a choice to pick over any poster or message," she said.
Despite becoming the central part of the protest, Ahmed hopes that poster will continue to inspire. She also clarified her patriotic views on the protest saying that one can be proud of being a Muslim and being an America at the same time. "You should not have to compromise any part of your identity. Being that I exist as a woman who is American and Muslim -- neither of those things should make me anti-anything," she said.
