A self-described “blond, tattooed Texas girl” took social media by storm after tweeting about converting to Islam, but the attention she garnered didn’t come from the people she expected.
Jennifer Williams tweeted last week about how Islam has changed her life for the better, using the popular hashtag #MuslimApologies. After the tweet, she jumped from 60 to 4,300 followers.
Sorry I read the Quran to learn abt terrorist beliefs but ended up converting to Islam b/c of what it said. #MuslimApologies #sorrynotsorry
— Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth) September 24, 2014
“A healthy number of them are Islamic extremists, including no small number of supporters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS),” Williams wrote on the Lawfare blog. “A lot of them live in Saudi Arabia.”
Williams’ new followers showered her with compliments. Some told her she would look beautiful in a hijab, and others offered marriage proposals, she wrote, adding that she was pleased with the attention her “humble little tweet” attracted but soon noticed a “disturbing trend.”
“Of the thousands of people who were retweeting and following me, many of them had the black flag of ISIS as their Twitter profile photos,” Williams wrote. “Others had pictures of themselves holding swords, standing in front of the black ISIS flag. Uh-oh.”
— الاسلام باقي (@Cell1980Kassab) September 18, 2014
@jenn_ruth u r famous now in Saudi Arabia, coz u r Muslim now, congratulations sister pic.twitter.com/dtPNOdadH5
— محمّد المسعري (@xSajeenx) September 30, 2014
Williams made it clear that she doesn’t support the violence perpetuated by Islamic extremists or Islamic State militants, but she admitted she made a “dumb move” that may have added to her “growing terrorist fandom.” While her popular tweet was going viral, she posted a picture of pro-ISIS graffiti she found on the side of an electrical box in Washington, D.C.
N St. & Connecticut Ave. in D.C. It says Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar ISIS pic.twitter.com/yg86wemgNU
— Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth) September 24, 2014
The more extreme followers appeared to mistake the tweet as support for the Islamic State, Williams said, so she quickly sent out another tweet clarifying the graffiti photo’s caption.
JUST SO WE’RE CLEAR: The tweet w/the pic of ISIS graffiti WAS NOT MEANT TO EXPRESS MY SUPPORT OF ISIS. Can’t believe I even have to say that
— Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth) September 24, 2014
Williams wrote in the Lawfare blog that she regrets the negative attention. Some Islamic followers told her that her tweets were being used as Islamic State propaganda. Still, she said, she stands by her newfound faith and suggested that extremists read the Quran and “take the time to really understand what it says.”
We’re not sure what book she’s reading or how she’s interpreting it. After all, there are 109 verses in the Quran that condone violence.
She may be trying to backpedal, but her new fans aren’t buying that the Islamic State is the only problem.
Let’s get this #NO2ISIS thing going.
— Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth) October 1, 2014
@jenn_ruth yes to isis it is defending them selves only #NoToAmerica the mother of terrorism that truth
— اسامة خالد (@osose2001) October 1, 2014
@jenn_ruth why don’t you resist the real terrorism and say #NoToAmerica the mother of terrorism. Isis is defending them selves only.
— جمهورية مفيييشستان (@Mafeeshestaan) October 1, 2014
h/t The Blaze
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