Muslim and Jewish best friends win the internet with 'Juslim' superhero costume

Two best friends from California, one Jewish and the other Muslim, spread a message of peace by dressing up as “Juslim” superheroes for Halloween this year.

Casey’s dad, Jeff Pearlman, tweeted a photo of the superhero duo on Saturday, saying, “My daughter is Jewish. Her best pal is Muslim. For Halloween they created a superhero team: The Juslims. I’ve rarely been more proud. Truly.”





The tweet has since gone viral, with tens of thousands of people sharing it. Pearlman, a best-selling author with 50,000 followers, told BuzzFeed News that he’s never had a tweet go this viral.

https://twitter.com/jeffpearlman/status/792553544045858816

“There’s just so much hostility in the air and in this election season,” Pearlman said. “This was just a refreshing, innocent reminder that we don’t have to be this way. We do not have to let this divisiveness take over right now.”

The girls designed their own glittery superhero logo — JM — which stands for Jewish-Muslim. And since their school does not allow religious or offensive costumes, their t-shirts also had a disclaimer: “Don’t worry, it’s not religious, it’s not offensive.”

Casey and Yasmin, both 13-year-olds, told BuzzFeed News that the word “Juslims” was coined by Casey’s dad during a car ride last year while the three of them were discussing things both religions had in common. “We were making up fun names that combined both of our religions together and he decided to call it ‘Juslims,’” Casey said. “And we kind of stuck to it for a long time,” Yasmin said.

The two decided it would be a “funny thing” to be the Juslims for Halloween this year, Yasmin said. “When we realised that we were standing up to what [Donald Trump] believes in, that kinda made me really happy,” Casey said, referring to Trump’s rhetoric against Muslims, women, and immigrants.

"When we realised that we were standing up to what [Donald Trump] believes in, that kinda made me really happy," Casey said, referring to Trump's rhetoric against Muslims, women, and immigrants.

“Me and Yasmin both disagree with almost everything that [Trump’s] deciding to do,” Casey said. “That didn’t at first influence our costume idea. But when we realised it was standing up to what he believes in, that kind of made me really happy.”

Both Casey and Yasmin said they received very few reactions from people at school who thought the costumes were “racist” or “offensive to religions.” “We explained to them that it wasn’t, but we can’t change somebody’s mind,” Yasmin said. “I’m Muslim and she’s Jewish; I’m black and she’s white. I think it’s really empowering for people to see us as role models in saying let’s stop the war and to show equality between all people,” Yasmin said.

The girls were happy that they were able to spread a message of peace. “I think a lot of people find it really interesting that kids are standing up against a lot of what’s happening in the media and the world right now,” Casey said. “People were impressed that kids realize that and want to change something.

“There are wars happening between these two religions and races and this is kind of like integration,” Yasmin said. The Juslims’ superpowers? “To watch each other’s back,” Yasmin said. “We’re a super team, like friends forever.”

People hailed Casey and Yasmin as the role models the world needs right now.

https://twitter.com/mttmdave/status/792583196542140416

https://twitter.com/Lexialex/status/792793340609568768

Everything that is right in the world is in this picture. Can these two teach the rest of the world how to love your neighborhood?? Please. https://t.co/5FuXRPqID3

— Brooke (@BrookeJ79) October 30, 2016

https://twitter.com/PattyMC22/status/792596789127806976

The 2016 tweet you need https://t.co/VcpOed7Tje

— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan on 🟦☁️) (@BrendanNyhan) October 30, 2016

 

This article originally appeared on BuzzFeed.