Selfies of Hijab-clad girl with Anti-Islam protesters go viral

Selfies a hijab clad girl took at an anti-Islam protest in Belgium went viral on social media.

Zakia Belkhiri, 22, saw members of an anti-Islam group protesting at an Islamic lifestyle event. Like a true millennial she posed with them and took selfies, a gesture that some of the protesters who were holding banners of 'Ban Islam' and 'No Mosques' found amusing, BBC reported.

The protest was held against an annual expo held in Antwerp last week, where Muslims showcase stalls, hold talks and workshops, and organize a halal food market.

Speaking to BBC Belkhiri said that she took those photos "to show that things can be different. And that we can live together, not next to each other but with each other."

Though the 15 percent Muslim population in Belgium has lived peacefully for years, recent bombing at the Brussels airport have sparked negative reactions and increased support for far-right groups lile Vlaams Belang which was holding the protest.

Freelance photographer Jurgen Augusteyns who was there to cover the event took photos of Belkhiri snapping her selfie. "A journalist friend of mine told me to go, you never know how things like this will develop," he told BBC.

 "This Saturday there were about 40 protesters. To be honest, it was all a bit dull but when Zakia started to take the selfies it suddenly became much more interesting.”