SAN BERNARDINO – A California Muslim student, who
lives a few miles from the site of the deadly San Bernardino shooting, received
the symbol of teenage acceptance after she was crowned prom queen at Fontana’s
Summit High School.

The Muslim prom queen attributed her victory to her
non-Muslim friends who campaigned for her by wearing hijabs.

The 17-year Muslim prom queen, Zarifeh
Shalabi, told The New York Times that her win is a symbol of teenage
acceptance because she was able to prove that not all Muslims are
“something to worry about.”

She also added that she was elected because her
fellow students see her as a friend and not as a threat.

The Muslim prom queen admitted that when she found
out that her non-Muslim friends nominated her for prom queen,
she was still concerned about getting permission to participate in the event
from her family.

She disclosed that she had to incessantly convince
her mother, who later consulted her uncles, aunts and friends from a local
mosque before giving her the permission to join the prom.

The Muslim prom Queen’s mother, Manal Haifa, said
that she has been worried that Zarifeh would become a victim of anti-Muslim
backlash after the San Bernardino shooting last December. They live just a few miles
from the scene of the terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 14 people.

But Zarifeh’s non-Muslim friends did not fall for
the rhetoric that had been sweeping the nation. Sarahi Sanchez, a friend of the
Muslim prom queen, said that they nominated her because they saw it as an opportunity
to do something good and represent something good.

“This was a way to prove we don’t have
problems with bullying or racism,” Sanchez stated.

On the day of the school election for prom queen,
her non-Muslim friends wore colorful hijabs while carrying
balloons printed with “Don’t be a baddie, vote for the hijabi.”