First, I want to send my condolences to the victims in the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. The one responsible for the death of 50 innocent people has been identified as Omar Mateen. Mateen had already pledged his allegiance to ISIS; however, this event was and should be classified as a homophobic act of terrorism. While the victims in this tragedy are getting much-needed attention, others have chosen to focus on what they seem to think is the root of the problem: Islam.
While it’s easier to blame the religion in this situation, we can’t. We can’t diffuse the responsibility of this hate crime to one’s religion because it’s easier to do so. ISIS doesn’t represent Islam, just like the Ku Klux Klan and the shooter at Charleston don’t represent Christianity. Yes, I get it. The world is scary and you’ve become afraid. As humans, we need something to blame, to tell our children why things are happening the way they are. It’s easier to categorize something as big as terrorism into a religion, because it makes it better to cope with our fears. But take a step back.
Our enemy isn’t a religion, it’s terrorists. Individuals who have a great amount of hate and justify this hate with their religion are the problem. Minimizing something as big as terrorists into a religion isn’t right. Terrorists are terrorists, and should stand alone. We’re scared because we see their hate associated with Islam. But does that mean we should blame every Muslim we see? Is that the better solution?
Blaming one’s religion for the actions of an individual is racism at its finest.
We can’t feed into this hatred, because it’s not moving us forward, it’s moving us back. Is it that much easier to hate someone on the basis of skin color, religion, sexual orientation, or their gender, than it is to love them? Choosing to hate a religion on the actions of a few is misguided, in my opinion. If we focus on driving hate for Islam, we forget the love that so many Muslim people have contributed for centuries. We channel this anger into hate and forget that there are so many loving and kind Muslims that hate ISIS just as much as we do.
If discriminating against an entire religion doesn’t seem hateful to you, redefine your definition of hate, because it hasn’t been and is not, exclusive to one group. Islam isn’t going away. This misguided attempt to bring answers to a problem that’s much bigger than a religion is what’s holding us back.
We shouldn’t be divided.
Instead, we should unite against the bigger issue.
Lastly, a message to the LGBTQ community:
My heart aches for you all. I wish the world was more accepting towards you. I wish the world could respect and love you for being you. But I want you all to know that while many of us choose to hate, there are several of us that choose to love. You aren’t the problem, and have never been the problem. You have shown the world so much courage, strength and endurance that never should be overshadowed by your sexual orientation. In times like this we need to unite over the love we share for one another, because that is how we become stronger than the hate that embodies so much of the world we live in. I stand with you and will continue to stand with you, along with several other people in defending you. You aren’t alone, and will never be alone.
Love is and will forever be, love.
