Unity amid chaos. Londoners have rallied together behind the phrase "You ain't no Muslim, bruv" after the unprovoked attack at Leytonstone Station on Saturday, Dec. 5.
According to reports, the 29-year-old assailant wielded a knife as he went after a 56-year-old man and other Tube passengers at the East London metro stop on Saturday night. He allegedly shouted "This is for Syria" as he carried out the attack, which has been described by authorities as a "terrorist incident."
Video footage posted to Twitter showed police officers pinning the assailant down on the ground as witnesses around them reacted to the commotion.
Amid the noise, one voice emerged loud and clear: "You ain't no Muslim, bruv! You're no Muslim, bruv. You ain't no Muslim!" ("Bruv" is slang, similar to "bro.")
The phrase — which makes a point about extremism and Islamophobia — quickly became a rallying call for fellow Londoners, and then for people all over the world. The hashtag #YouAintNoMuslimBruv started trending worldwide, with many lauding it as a "wonderfully British response" to the attack.
https://twitter.com/MalakShafik/status/673606902169890820
#YouAintNoMuslimBruv – Best hashtag ever. "This isn't a religion problem, it's a human problem." Truer words never spoken
— geekchic (@geekchic85) December 6, 2015
Loving this hashtag. See what Islam is really about: love and respect.#YouAintNoMuslimBruv
— Charles Clymer?️? (@cmclymer) December 6, 2015
Sometimes I am SO proud to be a Londoner. #YouAintNoMuslimBruv
— Chimene Suleyman (@chimenesuleyman) December 6, 2015
Londoners prove, once more, that they are Higher than
Hate &
Hypocrisy
That they represent the best of Humanity #YouAintNoMuslimBruv— Özer Khalid (@OzerKhalid) December 6, 2015
Even Prime Minister David Cameron praised the remark and the passerby who'd first said it. "Some of us have dedicated speeches and media appearances and soundbites and everything to this subject," he said during a speech in Derby on Monday, Dec. 7. "But 'you ain't no Muslim, bruv' said it all much better than I ever could."
