WASHINGTON - If you shuffled past the Union Station Au Bon Pain Friday morning circa 8:30 you might have noticed young people wearing green garments and passing out fliers about the electoral quagmire in Iran.

“Might have noticed.” There were only five of them, all standing stone still in utter quietude like frozen street performers on Las Ramblas de Cataluna in Barcelona.

But Project Nur (Arabic for “enlightenment”), the student-led initiative of the American Islamic Congress that organized the passive protest, was raising awareness, not euros.

Minutes before they leapt—then froze—into action, a Project Nur coordinator, 25-year-old Bashir Martin, did me a favor by explaining what exactly they planned to do. If I had arrived a few minutes later my expression would have resembled the quizzical looks of metro goers filing past, clutching croissants and coffees.

“We’re doing a flash mob,” said 25-year-old Bashir Martin, a Project Nur coordinator who wrapped a green bandana around his head before deciding to let it rest around his neck.

“It’s a seemingly random gathering of people in a public place. It’s not a typical demonstration where you go out and wave a banner around.”

Project Nur is attempting to distinguish itself from other Muslim youth groups by placing its civic identity before its religious one.

“What you saw in Iran inspired us,” said Martin, who seemed to view events in Iran as a way of rallying young Muslims to get active and get involved.

“The stereotype is that Muslims don’t care about human rights.”

A dissident of Iranian descent, Alaleh Solat (who used a false name because she still has family in Iran), wore a green shirt and round black sunglasses.

“In DC people are always moving moving moving and so by just standing there in place is making a statement,” said Solat, a 19-year-old student at American University.

Solat said she thought the group’s following would pick up as the day wore on. Project Nur planned four more similar events throughout the day, at Freedom Plaza, Lincoln Memorial, Dupont Circle and the Iranian interest section near Pakistan’s embassy.

While riot squads may have been dispersed to quell protests in Iran, these relatively small and peaceful proceedings brought out only one guy.

Jeffrey Herold of the Metropolitan police approached Martin and fellow coordinator Jeehan S. B. Faiz, as the group was wrapping up and preparing to move on to the next site.

“We heard there was going to be some huge demonstration” Herold said, sounding relieved when he seemed to be able to locate only two people.

Herold asked where they planned to go next.

“Freedom Plaza? You might have some competition there. There’s a big protest.”