U.K. beauty blogger Amena Khan announced Monday that she's dropping out of a L'Oreal ad campaign after a furor over a series of anti-Israel tweets she posted in 2014.
She posted on Instagram:
The decision comes just days after Khan, who lives in Leicester, England, told the BBC she was delighted to be the first woman in a hijab to be part of a mainstream advertisement for hair care.
In her Monday Instagram statement, Khan said the ad campaign "excited me because it celebrated inclusivity," and that she was stepping down "with regret" because "the current conversations surrounding it detract from the positive and inclusive sentiment that it set out to deliver."
She apologized for the tweets, saying she was sorry for the "upset and hurt" they've caused.
"Championing diversity is one of my passions, I don't discriminate against anyone," she added.
According to the Jerusalem Post, in the now-deleted tweets, Khan called Israel "sinister," referred to Israelis as "child murderers," and accused Israel of "terrorizing innocent civilians."
L'Oreal Paris told the Jerusalem Post it had "recently been made aware" of Khan's tweets.
"We appreciate that Amena has since apologized for the content of these tweets and the offense they have caused," a representative for the company told the Jerusalem Post. "L'Oreal Paris is committed to tolerance and respect toward all people. We agree with her decision to step down from the campaign."
When the new campaign was announced, Khan celebrated what a "game-changer" it represented.
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