Every year, high school students in the United States get the chance to submit artwork for the opportunity to be featured in the U.S. Capitol - all part of the Congressional Art Competition

One girl's painting, a finalist in the competition, has stolen the spotlight before even reaching Washington for being too controversial for Islamophobes. Why? 

Because the young girl decided to paint the Statue of Liberty with a hijab on her head, a mere call for equal representation in Donald Trump's America. 

"This student's art shows the USA is her country too," writes J. Luis Correa, a Democrat representative and member of Congress on Twitter. 

The painting is currently hanging in Correa's office in California. 

However, not everyone sees it this way. 

"Ultimately, to attribute a specific religion to the Statue of Liberty is inaccurate, unprofessional and offensive," wrote Mike McGetrick, an activist in We the People Rising, according to The Washington Post.

"In addition, the painting displays the torch of the Statue of Liberty, not as the heralded beacon of light, but rather held awkwardly to one side — in a perplexing, even disturbing, manner," he added. 

McGetrick is not alone in his beliefs, with many nodding in agreement by launching campaigns - both online and off - to get Correa to remove the painting from his office. 

Islamophobia showcased at its worst

"Lady Liberty stands for freedom. Hijab stands for oppression."

But, the congressmen refuses to remove the painting

In an interview with The Washington Post, Correa pointed out the flaws in the logic of those calling on him to remove the painting. 

Policing art, and "what is proper, what is not," he said, violates freedom of speech laws and leads to a "very dangerous slippery slope."

He also tweeted out that people should never be "afraid to express" themselves. 

"Never be afraid to express yourself"

Fun Fact: Lady Liberty was originally meant to be a Muslim woman

America's most famous and iconic landmark was originally intended to be a Muslim woman and was also meant to wear the hijab, according to The Smithsonian - the U.S. government's preeminent museum and research institution. 

Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, the French designer of the statue, was inspired by Egyptian peasant women. 

"Taking the form of a veiled peasant woman, the statue was to stand 86 feet high, and its pedestal was to rise to a height of 48 feet," Barry Moreno, the author of several books about the statue, wrote.

Bartholdi intended the statue to stand at Port Said in Egypt, overlooking the Suez Canal. 

Early drawings of the statue were titled: "Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia."

In the end, Egypt's government wasn't excited about the high price the statue would cost to construct. Bartholdi had to find another client: the French. France then commissioned two modified statues. The hijab was removed but the robed woman remained. 

France gave the now iconic version to the U.S. during its centennial celebrations in 1876. The other one sits along the river of a Paris suburb.