Anti-Islam blogs claim that photograph taken in Westminster is evidence for Muslims’ indifference to suffering

The photographer whose picture of a woman walking past a victim of the Westminster terrorist attack was claimed by anti-Islam blogs as evidence for the faith’s indifference to suffering has defended her and said the image was “misappropriated”.

The picture, showing a woman wearing a hijab and looking at her phone on Westminster Bridge as people gathered around an injured person, was held up by some on social media as evidence of her lack of concern. It was widely republished and commented on.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The image that was shared on social media showing the woman looking at her phone. Photograph: Jamie Lorriman

Jamie Lorriman, who took the photo and is based in London, told Australia’s ABC the series of images he took showed the woman’s distress. “The people who took on that picture are being rather selective,” he said. “In the other picture in the sequence she looks truly distraught ... personally I think she looks distressed in both pictures.

“It’s wrong it’s been misappropriated in that way.”

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Before Lorriman’s response, Tim Young, who calls himself a political comedian, tweeted from the US:

Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) pic.twitter.com/Xnq7ytJf93 This photo taken by UK parliament today after the London terrorist attack could end up being one of the most iconic of our time #westminster March 22, 2017

He also condemned a man for appearing to take a selfie at the scene.

tweet of the image by a Trump supporter with the comment, “Muslim woman pays no mind to the terror attack, casually walks by a dying man while checking phone” drew nearly 2,000 retweets.

He later tweeted it again alongside a photo of the Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood performing CPR on a victim with the caption “the main difference between Muslims and Christians”.

His tweets, and others making the same comparison, were met with a variety of responses, ranging from scathing to supportive. Defending the woman, some users shared images of the scene on Westminster Bridge that showed other passers-by appearing unconcerned.

Zane Asmiri (@ZaneTheSane) If anyone posts that pic of the Muslim woman walking by this scene in #London , reply with this pic showing a man doing the same. https://t.co/9sWFqSND8v March 22, 2017

Many people argued that she was likely to have been in shock and phoning family or friends.

Amy Ashenden (@AmyAshenden) Some disgusting hateful memes spreading re #Westminster of a young woman in hijab most likely in deep shock & calling family/friends. V sad March 22, 2017

Rajwinder (@Rajeh1980) #WeStandTogether People tweeting the photo of the lady in the hijab walking past share the same form of hate as the killer #Westminster March 23, 2017

Lorriman, who had been taking photographs of parliament at the time of the attack, told The Guardian he felt the pictures clearly showed the woman in distress.

“Looking back at the pictures now she looks visibly distraught in both pictures in my opinion,” he said. “She’s in the middle of an unfolding horrific scene... I think her expression to me says that she’s horrified by what she’s seen and she just needs to get out of the situation.

“We were all being told to clear the bridge at various stages, so it’s not unreasonable to think she’d been told to leave the bridge at some point just like everybody else.”

Lorriman said he felt the stronger reaction to the photograph had been from people coming to the woman’s defence.

“People going, ‘you weren’t there, you didn’t see it, you’ve no idea what that woman’s thinking, so how can you possibly assume that she’s just casually on her phone?’”

“It’s good to see that that seems to be the overwhelming response to the messages that are being put out there by certain people.”

He told the ABC it was “impossible to know” what was going through the woman’s mind. “The look on the woman’s face, she’s horrified, she’s in the middle of a traumatic situation. She probably just wanted to get off the bridge.

“I feel so sorry for the woman in the picture. If she’s seen this, she must feel awful.”