In the wake of yet another Jihadist terrorism attack, this time in Paris, social media has been flooded with ignorance and the revival of a disingenuous image of Muslim culture that many American's have adopted post-9/11. The Islamic State represents a very small minority of the 1.57 billion Muslims in the world, and the organization's skewed values represent Islam just about as much as Nazi morals reflect that of a common German. But it is only human nature to make generalizations about a specific ethnicity, culture, or religion- simply because it's just easier that way. 70% of Americans consider themselves to be Christian, whereas only 0.6% comprise the nation's Islamic population. That's 224 million self-identifying Christian's to just 6 million Muslims. For many U.S.citizens, the only thing they know about Islam is that most of the enemies our nation has faced in the past 15 years come from Muslim backgrounds. Osama bin Laden, Mohammed Atta, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. These three alone are accountable for the loss of hundred of thousands of innocent lives- all in the name of 'Jihad'. Ipso Facto, Islam stands for evil, right?
Let's start from the beginning, and clear out the confusion.
Around 600 A.D., the angel Gabriel appeared to a simple caravan trader by the name of Muhammad in the Northern region of Arabia. Gabriel told Muhammad to begin reciting the word of God, and so he accepted the responsibility of being a prophet with anxious reluctance. At this time, Arabia was inhabited by both polytheists and monotheists such as Christians and Jews. So Muhammad, spreading the idea of a single god, didn't face the same opposition that the prophets Abraham and Jesus did.
Muslims believe that God sent Muhammad as the final prophet to bring people back to the one true religion, the worship and submission to a single god, or Allah. Islam's holy book, the Quran, does mention prophets such as Jesus and Moses, but it is vastly different from the Bible or Hebrew scriptures. The Quran is considered a primary source; it is the written record of the revelations Muhammad had purportedly received. This means that unlike the Christian and Hebrew bibles that were written by people, the Quran is believed to be the direct word of Allah. Its like reading a letter from God, and the powerful connection this creates has resulted in the development of several devout sects of Islam.
The 5 pillars of Islam are essential to fully understanding the faith, and seeing the disconnect between stereotypes and reality. The first pillar, Shahada, asks that you declare your faith in only one god, Allah. The second, Salat, states that it's necessary to pray five times daily, each time facing the Kaaba in Mecca. The third is Zakat, or spending a portion of one's wealth for the benefit of the poor or needy. Fourth, Sawm, involves ritual fasting during the month of Ramadan as a form of repentance. Lastly, the fifth pillar, or Hajj, dictates that each able-bodied Muslim makes a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life.
You may be thinking to yourself: "that seems way too peaceful, where in the Quran does it mention suicide bombs or heaven-parties consisting of nothing but 72 virgins..?"
Well...it doesn't.
Misconceptions like those can be found in certain Hadiths. Contrary to the Quran, these Hadiths are written secondary sources, and as with all secondary sources, some are more reputable than others. For instance, one Hadith could be a proverb that a relative heard Muhammad proclaim, and another could be from someone who never even knew Muhammad, and is just as reliable than tabloid gossip.The idea of Jihad arises from these poorly sourced Hadiths, and the vast majority of Islam does not live by these pseudo-religious texts.In fact, most Muslims practice Jihad in a very different sense, the way it was originally intended. Jihad means "to strive, to apply oneself, to struggle, to persevere" and the ultimate goal is to 'maintain the faith of Islam'.
It is not unheard of for a group of disillusioned psychopaths to cloak their inhuman actions under the facade of faith, and throughout our history, Americans have demonized and generalized certain ethnicities for the actions of these smaller groups and individuals. Our nation's perception of Islam post-9/11 has been far too simplistic. As shown above, Islam is a complicated religion falling victim to a complicated world. So no, Islam does not stand for car-bombs, it does not stand for the destruction of Western Civilization, it does not stand for evil.
