Radical Islamic Terror. For many years before and since the horrific attacks on September 11th, 2001, these three words have struck fear into many Americans. The blind fear toward Islam is so radicalized that a presumptive presidential nominee has promised to ban Muslims from immigrating to the United States. Until the true nature of Islam is shown to the average American citizen, the country will be ruled by fear as we were in relation to the Japanese during World War 2. The only way to break free from the blind fear which holds the American public in a stranglehold is knowledge. In this article, I would like to fact check some of the common misconceptions about the religion more than 1.6 billion people practice.
First, there have been multiple rumors spread throughout the mass media that "Islamic Terror Camps" exist within the U.S. where groups such as ISIL are training troops for some mass invasion. One location repeatedly cited is Islamberg in New York. It is said that this site not only has automatic weapons and large artillery, but also an airfield where new conscripts to terror may hone their skills. However, the reality of Islamberg is much less intense. It is home to around 40 families and was established in the 1980s by African American Muslims attempting to escape racism and oppression in New York City. Even further proof of this town's tranquility is the fact that the New York State Police were invited multiple time to Islamberg. The police spoke of the people as welcoming and incredibly hospitable. Islamberg is just one example of many misconstrued towns people paint as nefarious just because there is an Islamic majority.
Secondly, there are many political figures who would tout "Radical Islamic Terrorism" as the foremost threat to U.S. National Security. Interestingly enough, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill conducted a recent study of the nearly 190,000 Americans murdered since the attacks on 9/11. Of these, only 37 were connected in any way to Islam or Islamic terror. Additionally, Europol found that all the terror attacks between 2006 and 2013, those identifying with Islam were only responsible for 0.7% of the attacks.
The last myth up for debunking today is the idea that all Muslims are violent in nature. This rumor started gaining ground when a U.S. think tank known as The Center for Security Policy stated that 25% of Muslim Americans support violence against other Americans. Before we can give this statistic any credibility, let us look at those responsible for its publication. The center is run by a man named Frank Gaffney, who actually identifies himself as an anti-Muslim. Moreover, only 600 people were used in the centers poll, which they then used to generalize all Muslim Americans. A later study conducted by the PEW Research Center found nearly 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, of which 0.006625% identified with extremist ideologies.
As you can see from the small bit of information I have given you here, there are plenty of people out to misrepresent the Islamic community in any way possible to instill fear and division among the American populous. Nevertheless, this is a time where the American people must find unity beyond things such as religion and work on real issues facing the country and the world. I encourage anyone reading this article to do your own research. Obviously, everything you read on the internet is not true and requires a good fact check. When we as a people began to find our own answers we will be well on our way to a more peaceful and progressive future.
