A young Belgian Muslim student has snapped a selfie in front of right-wing extremists who were taking part in an anti-Muslim demo in Anvers, Belgium, in an act of defiance, which has gone viral. 

Zakia Belkhiri, 22, was photographed in front of activists of Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) who were protesting against Muslim Expo, a local fair dedicated to Muslim culture. 

Outside the entrance, 40 protesters held up anti-Islam banners and sang "Go home Islam," "No to halal," and "No to veil."

That was when Zakia decided to pose in front of the crowd making a "V"gesture.

Credit: Jürgen Augusteyns

Credit: Jürgen Augusteyns

Credit: Jürgen Augusteyns

"When I went to the Muslim Expo and I saw these people demonstrating I immediately thought of taking a selfie with them," Zakia told Mashable France. 

"It was all a coincidence, nothing was planned, I didn't even know there was a demonstration! In doing this non-violent action, I wanted to send a positive message and show these people that Muslims are peaceful people."

Here are some of the selfies that Zakia took:

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Credit: Zakia Belkhiri

Credit: Zakia Belkhiri

People on social praised the use of selfies.

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

But all this enthusiasm caught Zakia by surprise: 

"I did not expect that my selfies would become viral. At first it was a bit difficult to deal with it but now I'm used to it and I'm really happy to hear all this positive feedback," she said. 

In recent days, Zakia is enjoying her newly-found popularity and hopes to inspire other young people to combat Islamophobia in the country. 

She says: "I'd love to be an inspiring person, though I know I'm a bit idealistic". 

This article originally appeared on Mashable Fr and was adapted by Gianluca Mezzofiore.

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