As Muslims across the world fear a racial backlash in the wake of the Paris attacks, a Muslim man in the city's Place de la Republique area asked Parisians to hug him if they trust him when he says he is not a terrorist.
The unknown man stands blindfolded at the Parisian square with two sign boards that read: "I'm a Muslim, but I'm told that I'm a terrorist", and "I trust you, do you trust me? If yes, hug me".
A video of the same was uploaded on YouTube on 16 November, showing Parisians coming up to him and giving him a hug. A couple of them are in tears as they hug him.
Hours later, the man removes the blindfold and thank the people who extend their support to his cause. "I would like to thank everyone of you for giving me a hug. I did this to send a message to everyone. I'm a Muslim, but that doesn't make me a terrorist. I never killed anybody," he says.
"I can even tell you that last Friday was my birthday, but I didn't go out. I deeply feel for all the victims' families," he adds.
He says that Muslim doesn't necessarily mean "terrorist" as the latter kills people over nothing.
"I want to tell you that 'Muslim' doesn't necessarily mean 'terrorist'. A terrorist is a terrorist, someone willing to kill another human being over nothing. A Muslim would never do that. Our religion forbids it," he says, passionately.
Last Friday, eight terrorists attacked six different locations in Paris, including restaurants and cafes, killing at least 129 people and injuring over 300 others. Isis took responsibility for the attacks.
The French police conducted several raids at suspected militant hideouts after the attacks. On Wednesday, they killed two terrorists and arrested seven people in an encounter in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris during one of the raids.
