David Cameron Uses 'You Ain't No Muslim, Bruv' Catchphrase as Rallying Cry

The phrase can be heard in video footage that was filmed by one eyewitness during the notorious stabbing attack. The saying generated the trending social media hashtag #YouAintNoMuslimBruv and has been applied to a string of recent terror attacks around the world, including those in Paris and in California.

"Bruv" is a local London  version of the British slang word "bruvva," similar to the American "bro."

David Cameron lauded this anti-Islamophobic trend during a news conference on Monday, saying that the author of this "brilliant" expression should be praised.

"Some of us have dedicated speeches and media appearances and sound bites and everything to this subject. But ‘you ain't no Muslim bruv' said it all much better than I ever could," Cameron commented. "Thank you [author of the saying] because that will be applauded around the country."

From the standpoint of many internet users, the fact that the expression went viral reflects the popularity of a simple sentiment: Muslims are not terrorists.

However, there were some who have condemned the trend, stressing that the phrase itself has overshadowed the suffering felt by victims of the stabbing, one of whom was seriously wounded when he was stabbed in the throat.

Moreover, one UK-based Muslim Twitter user claimed that the phrase misrepresent Islam in the eyes of many people.

"This #YouAintNoMuslimBruv hashtag is one of the most depressing things I've ever seen on social media, propagated by ignorant Muslims," Ismail Ibrahim wrote. 

The stabbing attack occurred at Leytonstone tube station in London on December 5 after British Parliament approved conducting airstrikes on Daesh (the Islamic state) positions in Syria. Police later labelled it a "terrorist incident."