Photo of Sunni Shia Friendship Goes Viral

Written by Chelby Daigle

Published in News

This month we at Muslim Link noticed this photo that was being shared widely thorough various social media. We decided to track down its origin and discovered that it was the creation of a 17 year old high school student, aspiring photographer, and jewelry designer from Alexandria, Egypt named Hadeia Nour Adel. Here is Muslim Link's interview with her.

Muslim Link (ML): Why did you take this photo?

I took this photo with the intention to show people that we can love each other as one ummah (community of believers). My motivation to take the photo was due to the distress of noticing brothers in Islam killing each other around the globe. I always thought, how is it that we believe in Allah, yet we kill and hate over small differences.

In the picture is my friend Fatima and I. Fatima is my best friend, a beautiful Lebanese girl who I've known for years.

ML: How have your friends and family reacted to your photo going viral?

Most of them liked the idea, Alhamdulillah (thank Allah). I didn't expect so much appreciation and attention towards it. I also got some beautiful messages from people I don't even know, encouraging and thanking my friend and I.

I didn't know what to expect, yet under the circumstances I would have supposed more negativity towards it. However it must be a good sign and I'm glad the positivity made the negativity seem like nothing.

ML: Do you think there is hope for improvement in Sunni-Shi'a relations?

Yes, of course we can, if we only remove the hatred from our hearts. We must believe that love can change everything and simply be more positive.

Check out more of Hadeia's photography on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hadeia-Photography

This article was produced exclusively for Muslim Link and should not be copied without prior permission from the site. For permission, please write to info@muslimlink.ca.

Chelby Daigle

Chelby Marie Daigle is Muslim Link’s Editor in Chief and Coordinator. Under her direction, Muslim Link adopted its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy so that the website strives to reflect the complexity of Muslim communities in Canada. She knows that she fails to do justice to this complexity every day but she will continue to try to improve as she recognizes the frustration of being both marginalized in the mainstream and also marginalized in Muslim communities. As Coordinator, she works to build relationships with Muslim and mainstream organizations and manages the website's social media, event listings, and directories. She organizes regular Muslim Link gatherings. She also works closely with the Publisher to find ways to keep Muslim Link sustainable. Find her on Twitter @ChelbyDaigle