Muslims Aren't The Problem, You Are | The Odyssey Online
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Muslims Aren't The Problem, You Are

A guide to common sense in the twenty first century.

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Muslims Aren't The Problem, You Are
New America Media

Just a few short days ago, yet another attack ripped apart a Turkish airport. These attacks have become pretty regular in our world yet that doesn't take away the sting of our worry. Just a hours after the chaos had calmed down, terrorist group Isis claimed responsibility.

Soon enough the news had turned from worry over the situation to a fearful smackdown of Islam. In tragedies such as these, it's so easy to find a scapegoat and try and push our problems off onto some other reason. It's hard to understand why any human would harm another person in such a violent way. However resorting to the fact of blaming the religion and the many American Muslims that live in the US is an extreme taken too far and is damaging to not only our own safety but others.

So let's break this down nice and slow. Islam is not the problem. It's you.

Each attack contains an individual with cruel intentions. These individuals may operate on twisted views of religion, but their ultimate goal is not due to their religion. Whether or not they share the common denominator of Islam is irrelevant because it takes more than a belief system to convince someone to take another human's life.

Now let me make this point painstakingly clear. I have the opportunity of coming from a conservative family where firsthand I see posts about how Islam and the Quran teach hateful messages. These articles are fabricated by invalid sources in order to play off your fear and pain and make money off your visits to the site and the rapid sharing of the text. Just as the Odyssey has a system to spread our word, these sites have their messages to spread theirs.

Islam is a very love driven and peaceful religion. The word Islam itself is taken from the Arabic word for peace. The book is large and offers teachings on the Old Testament of the Bible as well as the newer testaments once Muhammad Ali arose. Many click bait sites will use "proof" of the hatred by comparing quotes from the war on Ali against Isis and use this as the reason stating their religion is to blame. The context of the piece of the Quran they use is the piece in which Muhammad Ali encourages his followers to wage a war on anyone who does not follow his teachings. But please bear in mind that during this time, if you shared a different view on religion than a politician, you could be beheaded or sentenced to death in the street. In order to protect themselves, Muslims would have had to either hid their religion or fight for it. This passage may make you think twice about Muslims, however, what is left out is another verse that is so crucial to, "the taking of one innocent life is the taking of Mankind." Any terrorist group who may try and make you believe otherwise, this is the true state of Islam and what Muslims practice.

As a small side note, Christianity is not perfect either. They preach very violent ends such as stoning someone to death for wearing a blend of cotton. Now don't get me wrong, bad fashion irks me too, but this is an example of how every religion has violent passages (I mean Jesus was crucified on a cross. Tell me how that is not an awful thing to do).

So why do you turn to hate these Muslims so easily? Fear is an easier concept than love in any situation. You turn to this emotion because it's strong and easier to backlash out against with rage and demanding of change. We develop these fears naturally but we also allow ourselves to find blame in an outlet by not taking charge of the situation. Islamophobia had become a rapidly increasing problem due to Isis in which random Muslims have been attacked in the streets and a coalition in Texas has been formed to simply hunt down and kill Muslims. It almost sounds like the middle ages, but I mean what can you expect from Texas.

Isis is a separate terrorist group that not only attacks innocent individuals but mainly attacks innocent Muslim individuals. They are a radicalist group that has no right to call themselves true Muslims and anyone who may try and say otherwise is plain wrong. To say they are true Muslims is to call members of the Ku Klux Klan true Christians (and if you already hold this ideology I have another chat we need to have ready to go).

The only problem between Islam and America is our prejudice against anything not white, blonde, Christian, and hot-blooded American™. And in case you haven't realized yet, America is a melting pot of every nation. It is the reason we were originally found back when the pilgrims arrived. They came to seek refuge from religious persecution which many of the Muslim refugees (and this also include the Syrian debate) have done as well. You argue that it's unAmerican to let these people in, yet it is entirely American as it was the reason we exist. We even celebrate every year when you eat a big Turkey (yes this holiday has more meaning than just a fat bird). By vilifying an entire religion or making detrimental jokes about towel heads you are not only instigating the problem but you become a direct source.

Learn from our history's mistakes. In light of the upcoming holiday in which we celebrate our freedom, remember that there are countries out there who can't because of a terrorist group who slaughters families unnecessarily. Remember they didn't ask to be persecuted for their religion. And when you see a Muslim in a grocery store and you get nervous, stop yourself. They are more than likely more American than you'll ever be and they know how everyone views them. Yet they celebrate their pride as an American just as you do. Don't let your tainted views of a beautiful religion determine whether or not you buy into hateful actions. Learn to be a human and spread love and kindness again, and please for the love of God (be it Allah, Jesus, a giant spaghetti monster, I don't care) Stop sharing those clickbait site articles. They only want your money, they don't actually care about you being informed.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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