Image by Catherine Pearlman

By Thea Glassman October 31, 2016

A simple halloween costume just made the collective internet community a very, very happy place.

13-year-old Casey Pearlman is Jewish and her best friend Yasmin Idris, also 13, is Muslim. Together, they decided to dress up as a superhero team called “The Juslims” for Halloween. They donned capes with the initials JM written in glitter on the back, along with bright yellow t-shirts that read: “Don’t worry, it’s not religious, it’s not offensive,” to ensure they didn’t break any of their school’s rules.

Casey’s father, Jeff Pearlman, tweeted out a picture of the two in their superhero costumes, writing: “My daughter is Jewish. Her best pal is Muslim. For Halloween they created a superhero team: The Juslims. I’ve rarely been more proud. Truly.”

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That tweet has since gone viral, garnering nearly 50,000 retweets, 91,000 likes and a whole lot of happy commenters.

“Parenting done right!”

“A true definition of girl power! ? #respect”

“faith in humanity. Restored. #TeamJuslims”

Pearlman credits the current political climate for all the positive feedback his daughter and her best friend have been receiving.

“There’s been this tidal wave of anti-everything,” he said in a phone interview. “There’s been a palpable feeling of hatred this election cycle that I’ve never seen in my lifetime.”

Their costume, he explained, serves as a small reminder that all of that negativity is just “nonsense.”

“It’s so simplistic. Two kids in a halloween costume. They weren’t trying to send a message, they weren’t trying to be political. They were just two kids who thought it was a funny costume,” he said. “That’s kind of the innocent beauty of it all.”

Image by Catherine Pearlman

Thea Glassman is an Associate Editor at the Forward. Reach her at glassman@forward.com or on Twitter at @theakglassman.

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