By Arwad Khalifeh
Almost 200,000 fans attended British superstar Adele’s two concerts in Sydney on Friday and Saturday nights, but it was a Muslim woman, standing in front row, who got social media talking over the weekend.
In a video widely shared on the Internet, Adele was seen kissing the hand of a hard core fan wearing the hijab.
The lucky girl is Samira Dandachl, who told 9news.com.au: "Adele had just finished singing ‘When We Were Young’ when my fiance, Adi, lifted me up on his shoulders."
"I was crying, and she said ‘don’t cry darling’ and I kissed her hand," she continued. "She returned the favour and kissed my hand back."
Let's face it, if this was any other person with their hair hanging loose, it wouldn't have made it into the news.
But the fact that these days Muslims are hungrily searching for any positive link between Islam and the West, meant that Adele's genuine gesture was regarded as an act of love towards her Muslim followers.
While hundreds of the "Million Years Ago" singer's fans applauded her for humbly kissing the hijabi's hand, others weren't as enthusiastic, pointing out that the woman "kissed Adele's hand first," which explains the songstress's reaction.
Adele is a "feminist icon" in the eyes of many now... not those with extremist views though, who remained skeptical and insisted that she is merely "supporting terrorism and the oppression of women" by showing tolerance towards a veiled woman.
Meanwhile, the more religious social media users were in disagreement with the fan's presence at the concert in the first place, citing it as "no place for a Muslim woman."
People can criticise Adele and Samira all they like, but for the emotional fan, this was a moment she will never forget.
"I could not believe it. It is the best moment of my life and something I’ll never forget," Samira said.
