Irving mosque cowboy turning message into mission

Rasa - Justin Normand never thought he'd be famous, especially for holding a sign by the side of the road.

News ID: 426221

Date: 01 January 2017 - 22:44

RNA - Justin Normand never thought he'd be famous, especially for holding a sign by the side of the road.

"I never imagined this, but I'm not surprised,” he said. “I've seen God work here.”

Normand lives in Dallas, and last month he started visiting the Islamic Center of Irving holding a sign saying "You belong, stay strong."

"After all the rhetoric we've seen, I wanted to let these people know I'm here for them," Normand said.

What Normand didn't realize was someone snapped a photo of the cowboy hat-wearing, sign-holding Texan and it quickly went viral. A month later, he's been interviewed by every major network, The New York Times sent a crew to shoot a documentary on him and he's been getting hundreds -- if not thousands -- of requests to send the sign to people across the world.

"That just didn't make sense so I created a file that people can download for free and make their own signs," Normand said.

Faud Dadbhoy is the President of the Valley Ranch Islamic Center in Irving and has met Normand twice. He says Normand's kindness isn't alone.

"We've had so many people come up to us and show their support after the election but Justin has become a lightning rod that's spurring others to help as well," Dadbhoy said.

Normand is a reluctant celebrity, but said he felt compelled to keep the momentum of his message building. He says 2017 will be tough for many, but it's also a time when people can start grassroots efforts to show love and inclusion to all groups.

"It's not me, it's the message that is really resonating and will continue to do so," Normand said.

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