#YouAintNoMuslimBruv Spreads Across Social Media To Counter Islamophobia

As public debate rages about terrorism and Islamophobia both in the United States and abroad, the phrase #YouAintNoMuslimBruv has taken off on social media as a way for Muslims to express that the actions of extremists do not truly represent their faith.

The phrase caught on after a video was released on social media showing a bystander yelling “You ain’t no Muslim bruv (a slang term for brother)” at the supposed guilty party during an alleged terrorist attack in London Saturday. The suspect is accused of attacking two commuters with a knife while declaring, “This is for Syria,” at a London rail station. The video came to light early Sunday morning, leading to the phrase becoming a top trending topic on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/ACMFTHAMNA/status/673533155148759045

https://twitter.com/Ethan_Shewchuk/status/673507356337168388

#YouAintNoMusilmBruv isn’t the first time a hashtag has been used to condemn terrorism as separate from the true Muslim faith and help to counteract Islamophobia. The Active Change Foundations’s hashtag #NotInMyName, which gained notoriety following the deadly Paris attacks in November, has been used by countless Muslims to condemn terrorism and the actions of ISIS, and to show that their actions don’t truly represent the ideals of the Islamic faith.

#NotInMyName pic.twitter.com/CwASPgoYDP

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— Teena 🤓 (@TeenaTaylor3) November 15, 2015

Speaking about the use of the hashtag and terrorism last September, Active Change Foundation founder Hanif Qadir stated, “The murder of an innocent person has no justification in any religion or walk of life. These terrorists ISIS are not true Muslims, they do not practice the true teachings of Islam; peace, mercy, and compassion, and they are the enemy of all mankind.”

As the political debate around response to terrorism and Islamophobia rages on, including incendiary rhetoric from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, social media movements like #YouAintNoMuslimBruv are sure to only continue growing as their message becomes all the more important.