American movie star Lindsay Lohan chose to celebrate International >Women's Day differently this year by sharing a quote by the man who is said to arguably be the world's first feminist: Prophet Muhammad.
The actress and humanitarian, whose interest in Islam has made several headlines during the past year, posted a photo of herself with a child and the following caption:
"Women are not created weaker but more generous than men. They are created more beautiful and less fierce, as beauty hates to hurt and harm others. That is why they seem weak to people, but in reality they are not.
Angels are the strongest of created beings, and women are closer to the angelic nature than men, as they are readier than men to carry angelic light" - Prophet Mohammed - happy women's day.
In the hadith, the prophet debunks the widespread misconception that women are weaker than men and states that women are more inclined to be generous and good-hearted.
The post was met with outpouring enthusiasm and support from the Muslim community, with many users wishing for Lohan to be guided to Islam.
Prophet Muhammad is actually >known for holding women in high regard. By laying down the Islamic doctrine that dictates women's rights, the prophet was arguably the first feminist in history.
Countering the widespread exploitation of women, he ordered men to honor and respect them.
"For his day, the Prophet Muhammad was a feminist," writes Lisa Beyer in an article for Time magazine.
In one of his last commands before his death, the prophet kept repeating, "I command you to be kind and considerate to women." In another hadith, he said, "It is only the generous in character who is good to women, and only the evil one who insults them."
While often being accused of oppressing women, Islam is said to have improved >women's status substantially, as women in pre-Islamic Arabia were reportedly deprived of their basic human and civil rights.
Lohan's spirituality has lately been subject to a great deal of >scrutiny, with rumors of her conversion to Islam making rounds on the internet.
In 2015, Lohan was photographed carrying a copy of the Quran in New York. She later confirmed that she had been studying the holy book and learning about Islam.
This January, Lohan wiped her Instagram and Twitter accounts clean, with the Islamic greeting "Alaikum Salam", which means "peace be unto you" in Arabic, as part of her bio on Instagram.
In an >interview with Kuwaiti talk show host Swar Shoaib last month, Lohan said that she reads the Quran translated into English and listens to audio of the holy book on her mobile phone via an app. She told Shoaib that the Quran is "a solace and a safe thing for me to have".
The Mean Girls star also said that she has tried fasting for Ramadan for three days and praying in the Islamic fashion.
But, Islamophobes have lashed out against Lohan for her interest in Islam. "They crucified me for it in America. They made me seem like Satan. I was a bad person for holding that Quran," she said in an interview on Turkish TV show Haber Turk.
"I felt so unsafe in my own country. If this [Islam] is something that I want to learn, this is my own will."
Lohan has been spending a lot of time in the Middle East, where she takes part in humanitarian work helping refugees. She has actually >admitted that she is afraid to return to the U.S. because of her beliefs about Islam, especially in light of the rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes and President Donald Trump's new ">Muslim ban" that bars immigrants from several Muslim-majority countries.
Last month, Lohan was asked by a customs official> to remove her headscarf when traveling to New York through London after returning from Turkey, the American star revealed in an interview with a British talk show.
Despite her strong connection to Islam and her recent experience at the airport, Lohan has said she's willing to give Trump a chance. Although she disagrees with his policies, she said she respects him as her country's president.