This week all of our hearts have gone out to the victims of the attacks in Brussels, and we can only pray that we find the second attacker and find a way to end these tragic attacks. With that being said, we often forget that Muslims are the victims too.
Since 9/11, not only our country, but also the entire globe, has been plagued with the idea that Islam is a religion of hate and violence and that its followers are as well. As a matter of fact, it is no more hateful or peaceful than any other religion. The Quran has many peaceful verses such as 41:34 "Good and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with what is better; then you will see that one who was once your enemy has become your dearest friend" and 2:83 that translates to "Speak to people kindly."
Now, does the Quran have some darker more hateful quotes? Yes, 8:12 states "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore, strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them." But what about other religions? One of the most popular verses in the Bible is "Love Thy Neighbor" and most of us have heard numerous peaceful and loving quotes from the Bible, but we often forget that the Bible gets pretty dark too. Jeremiah 19:9 reads "And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and shall eat the flesh of their neighbors in the siege, and in distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them." This verse is not alone, with 2 Kings 2:23-24, "[Elisha] turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths."
In 2013, the FBI released a study concluding that between the years 1980 and 2005 the number of Islamic Extremist attacks is only seven percent. Why is the media warping the idea that almost all of our terrorist attacks are from Muslims? And more importantly, when is that going to stop?
According to Mint Press News, almost twice as many people have been killed in right-winged attacks in American than from Muslim extremists. This same outlet also stated that in the 26 attacks since 9/11 that have been defined as terror attacks, 19 of those were carried out by people who weren't Muslims.The world desperately needs to make a conscious effort to accurately represent what is really happening around us. Since the Paris attacks, hate crimes on Muslims have nearly tripled. The New York Times found that on average, there are 12.6 hate crimes against Muslims every single month based off of recent FBI data. People are bombing mosques, threatening Muslim children, shooting innocent Muslims and denying them basic human rights. But why aren't news outlets appalled about this and reporting on it? Where is our outrage that human beings are being treated like this just because of their faith? Have we forgotten about when a Christian extremist persecuted about 6 million Jews, aka The Holocaust?! Or when 1-3 million Muslims were killed in the Christian Crusades?
It is easy to see that no matter what religion you are sometimes extremists emerge and do the unthinkable. It's not just a Muslim thing or a Christian thing. There will always be a group of people that extremists will rise from. Not only is loving Muslims the morally right thing to do, but it is also exactly what ISIS doesn't want you to do. ISIS wants to divide us by hate in order to fulfill their mission. At this rate, we don't stand a chance against them. On top of that, there is no greater way to honor the victims of ISIS attacks than to give them the justice they and their families deserve by defeating ISIS. Nobody deserves to live in a world where they constantly live in fear, wondering if they or someone they love could be harmed.
When will we realize terrorism is not a religion, and that terrorism and Islam are not synonymous? When will we realize that no religion or even lack thereof is better than another? It's time to remember above race, religion, or creed, we are all human.
