One day before the San Bernardino attack - and just a couple of weeks after the terror attack in Paris - Naweed Yusufzai decide to do a test.
Inspired by an activist in Paris, Yusufzai created a sign that read, in part, “I am a Muslim. People call me a terrorist. I trust you. Do you trust me? If yes, HUG ME.”
People stood in line to hug him.
His action went viral. People all over the world have contacted him.
"What really struck me is that this was unlike any other demonstration that I've seen," Yusufzai said. "You're not going out there with picket signs and with aggression and loud voices. You're going out there with silence and vulnerability and you're going out there just to demonstrate love. And to show people that even though I'm a Muslim, I'm a human being."
Yusufzai said he had a lot of faith in the students of UNLV and those who would be visiting the campus that day, so he wasn't surprised when a line of people gave him a hug.
"What I didn't expect was how loving and how genuine the responses really were," he said.
He said people whispered that they loved him and he felt a strong connection with many of the people he hugged.
"We just talked and we had dialog and we talked about our pain and our compassion for one another and how much we appreciated each other," he said.
Yusufzai believes although many people don't understand the Quran or the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, it is something that can be taught. He said he mostly feels sorry for people who aren't open minded enough to want to learn.
"The way that's it taught is through love," he said, "It's by showing it. And the only people that are going to listen are the people with open hearts and those with open minds. You can't argue with people who have closed themselves off and people who aren't willing to learn and so why should I be sad or angry with those people? I'm sad, I'm sad for them, if anything."
Yusufzai said extending his hand and showing love is part of the effort to education people. And despite his recent statements, Yusufzai said he would hug presidential candidate Donald Trump.
"I would hug Donald Trump. And the reason I would do it is because in my heart it would be to show love and compassion even to a person who speaks horrid things and then knowing that when I hug him the only thing he'll feel is fear. And That's something that everyone to be reminded of that this is a man who is fearful. And how can you live a life of fear? Especially of something you don't even understand. You're not even learning about. You don't care to learn about it. That's sad."
Naweed Yusufzai, UNLV student
