The Elephant in the Room
These days, it seems to be one of the trending
topics to talk about Islam and not in a good way. It seems like the entire
religion is an endangered one. It’s important and our global citizenly-duty to
talk about the elephant in the room: why is Islam such a targeted religion?
Before diving into answering this question, I
almost feel obligated to set down a strong foundation that this may seem
biased. As a Muslim myself, I am more in favor of showing you the positive side
of Islam. Although this would imply that there is a dark side, I’ll leave that
up to you to decide upon finishing this article. If you are strictly adhered to
the belief that Islam is an evil religion and all of its followers are equally
evil, it would not do you any justice to continue reading. Continuing to read
this piece calls for an open and learning mind, as well as one that is willing
to argue and support opposing viewpoints.
Did you know that Islam means submission? Why
does this matter? Well, simply put, Islam is a religion about peace and Allah.
Before you run, Allah is the Arabic name for “God.” Islam advocates for peace,
tolerance and self-accountability. Although they are all important, I will
focus on the topic of self-accountability for the sake of time. In Islam, it is
a fundamental belief that no man should bear the burden of sin for another
man—in short, to each his own. As individual Muslims, each person is
responsible for his/her own actions and it is between themselves and Allah to
tackle issues of sin, repentance, and forgiveness. With that said, it is a
flawed and skewed viewpoint to blame an entire religion and its people for the
actions of a handful.
In the media, it seems to be a popular trend to
highlight the radical acts of certain organizations, such as Boco Haram,
Hezbollah, and the infamous, al-Qaeda. These organizations wrongfully use Islam
as a shield and justification for their acts of “terror.” As a result, society
uses its misconceptions, stereotypes and ignorance of Islam as a reason for
judging about 2 billion people worldwide. Logically speaking, is it safe to say
that the actions of a few individuals or a small organization are
representative for the entire Islamic population? As an educated people, we
should know better. Believing that would be the equivalent of saying that the
Westboro Baptist Church is an accurate representation of all Christians around
the world. If that didn’t strike a nerve, maybe their website
“GodHatesFags.com” can put things in perspective. No two individuals are the
same, moreover 2 billion people. The truth of the matter is that it is unfair
to blame Islam for terrorism. It is equally unfair for the perpetrators of
terror to use Islam as a justification.
What it boils down to is simply this: everyone
is entitled to their own opinion. That is a fundamental right as human beings.
The problem arises when that opinion and its expression of it jeopardizes the
reputation of a religion that has been around for 1,438 years. Shahada( faith)
Salah (Prayer), Zakat (Almsgiving), Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca), and Ramadan (Fasting)—these
are the things that Islam believes in. Not bombs, blood, pain, or TERROR. It’s
time we do our research and make our own decisions instead of relying on
mainstream media to capture, censor and then display its own image of Islam and
Muslims.
If by the time you reach this part of the paper
I’ve inspired you to re-think and doubt every bit of new you hear, I have
completed my mission. If I have wasted your time because you still see the world
the exact same way as before reading this, I’ve failed. If terms like Boco
Haram, Westboro Baptist Church and Hezbollah sound foreign to you, you have a
lot of research to do. If Shahada and Zakat don’t seem familiar, then you need
to learn more about Islam before you come up with judgments. But above all, if
you are a citizen of this world, you owe it to yourself to be informed. Whether
it’s about Islam, terrorism, or the media’s influence on our every-day
patterns, all it takes is a discussion, some research or simply stepping out of
your comfort zone to ask questions. There is no greater form of ignorance than
denying something you know nothing about.
Written By: Aissatou Guisse
