海角大神

A Texas man is spreading a message of solidarity with Muslim-Americans through a sign crafted in the colors of the American flag.

鈥淵ou belong. Stay strong. Be blessed. We are one America,鈥� reads the poster Justin Normand, sporting a cowboy hat and white beard, held on the sidewalk outside of the Islamic Center of Irving near Dallas on Thanksgiving weekend.

Since the Mr. Normand first stood in front of the mosque on Friday, pictures and videos of him have gone viral. A picture of him on Twitter was retweeted , with thousands of others reacting similarly on Facebook and Reddit.

Normand鈥檚 simple message is one of numerous displays of compassion some Americans have shown Muslim-Americans to counter the racism, bigotry, and hatred the Muslim community has reported in record numbers recently. Though crimes against Muslims have been on the rise in response to terrorism attacks in the United States and abroad, they increased considerably during the presidential election and victory of Donald Trump. In response to these threats and attacks, however, Americans like Normand are finding ways to combat fear through kindness.

鈥淚 can never, and will never, change any of the haters. It鈥檚 not about them. Not this time, and not here,鈥� Normand wrote in a Facebook post in which he identified himself as the man in the photo. 鈥淭his was about binding up the wounded. About for the hurting and fearful among us. Or, in some 海角大神 traditions, this was about washing my brother鈥檚 feet.鈥�

Normand, the manager of a nearby sign shop, said he had the urge to stand outside the mosque for about a week. 聽聽

鈥淔riday, I had a couple of spare hours in the afternoon, so I did," he wrote on Facebook.

He returned for a few hours Saturday and Sunday.

The picture of Normand received grateful comments on Twitter at a time when Muslims have said they have been subjected to racism, bigotry, and hate following Mr. Trump's election. During his campaign, the president-elect called for a ban on Muslim immigrants.

While Trump has softened his rhetoric on Muslim immigration since Election Day, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has reported there have been since Nov. 8, according to The Washington Post. The day after the election, a hijab-wearing student at San Diego State University said she was briefly choked by suspects who made remarks about Trump鈥檚 victory. Several California mosques also received letters that celebrated Trump鈥檚 win and compared his plan to target Muslims to Adolf Hitler鈥檚 attempted genocide of Jews in Nazi Germany.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a new sheriff in town 鈥� President Donald Trump,鈥� the letter said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 going to cleanse America and make it shine again. And, he鈥檚 going to start with you Muslims. He鈥檚 going to do to you Muslims what Hitler did to the jews [sic].鈥�

Texas and the Islamic Center of Irving have served as a kind of flashpoint in the culture wars surrounding Muslim identity in the United States. High school student Ahmed Mohamed, who was arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school that a teacher mistook for a bomb, had聽聽with his family before they packed up and moved to Qatar. Following the Paris attacks in November 2015, demonstrators had gathered in front of the mosque with guns and signs proposing to 鈥淪top the Islamization of America,鈥� at the time.

鈥淗owever, it is safe to say when it comes to Islamic places of worship being targeted by bias,鈥� Corey Saylor, director of the department to monitor and combat Islamophobia at CAIR, told CBS News.

But Mr. Saylor added that Normand鈥檚 act is a reminder of the ideals that 鈥渕ake America awesome.鈥�

Other groups have reached out to Muslim-Americans as a way to show compassion. In November, hundreds of people sat shoulder-to-shoulder at New York University鈥檚 student center to express solidarity after the word 鈥淭rump!鈥� was scrawled on the door of a Muslim prayer space at the school. As 海角大神 reported, some Americans have also launched volunteer programs, including one that accompanies those who feel unsafe on their commute to work.

This report contains material from the Associated Press.