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The woman who became the centre of an online debate after she was photographed wearing a hijab and using her mobile phone during the London terrorist attack has given her side of the story.
The picture was widely circulated on social media, with many Twitter users commenting she was casually ignoring a victim lying on the ground.
Speaking to Tell MAMA — an organisation that purports to support victims of anti-Muslim hate — the woman has spoken in her defence.
She said she was "shocked and totally dismayed" at how her picture had been circulating on social media.
"To those individuals who have interpreted and commented on what my thoughts were in that horrific and distressful moment, I would like to say not only have I been devastated by witnessing the aftermath of a shocking and numbing terror attack, I've also had to deal with the shock of finding my picture plastered all over social media by those who could not look beyond my attire, who draw conclusions based on hate and xenophobia," she said.
The woman, whose identity has been withheld for her protection, said her thoughts at that moment were one of sadness, fear and concern.
"What the image does not show is that I had talked to other witnesses to try and find out what was happening, to see if I could be of any help, even though enough people were at the scene tending to the victims," she said.
"I then decided to call my family to say that I was fine and was making my way home from work, assisting a lady along the way by helping her get to Waterloo Station.
"My thoughts go out to all the victims and their families."
She also thanked Jamie Lorriman, the photographer who took the picture, for defending her in the days following the attack.
Speaking to the ABC, Mr Lorriman said the idea that she was ignoring the scene as she was walking past was wrong.
"It's wrong it's been misappropriated in that way," he said.
"To assume she was ignoring someone is impossible to know; the look on the woman's face, she's horrified, she's in the middle of a traumatic situation.
"I feel so sorry for the woman in the picture.
"If she's seen this, she must feel awful."
Tell MAMA are working towards having the woman's image removed from Twitter, saying there should be no place for hatred on social media.
"[She is] an innocent bystander who was targeted online for no other reason than her Muslim identity," they said.
Topics: terrorism, unrest-conflict-and-war, human-interest, community-and-society, united-kingdom, england
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