California, US: A student painting of a hijab-wearing Statue of Liberty that is currently hanging in a Democratic congressman’s office is being slammed as unpatriotic by conservative groups, reports Daily Mail.

The painting was pinned up in Rep. Lou Correa's district office in California last month along with the other finalists from the congressman's annual student art competition.

Activist group We the People Rising, which protests undocumented immigrants, has demanded several times that Correa tear down the painting, the Orange County Register reports.

The painting of Lady Liberty wearing a hijab is currently hanging in Rep. Lou Correa's district office in California. It has drawn criticism from activists who say it should be removed.

They claim it is 'disrespectful' and violates the separation of church and state.

Correa has refused saying the young woman who painted the artwork earned the spot on his office wall. 

'The Statue of Liberty stands for inclusion, acceptance, and freedom. The young woman who painted this is trying very hard to show people that she is an American,' Correa wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

'If I took down her painting, I'd be telling the world her experiences don't matter and she did something wrong. This is her country too, and she earned that spot on my wall.' 

The activists are now planning to protest outside the congressman's office on September 11.

'It's a bad example for our congressman,' activist Mike McGertrick said.