There is a quote from Martin Niemoller, a pastor during and after World War II. The quote reads,

“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out --

Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out --

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.”

I have been thinking about this quote lately due to the constant bombardment of news on terrorism and the effects it has been having on the world. There is no doubt that we are in a crisis mode, and that actions need to be taken in order to fight back against Isis. I do see, however, something dangerous happening. There is an awful lot of finger pointing going on worldwide toward Muslims and middle eastern people. From Donald Trump’s plan to ban all Muslims from entering the country to opinions voiced behind closed doors in average American homes, people are placing blame for terror on Islam. I am not a Muslim. I am not saying that some Muslims aren’t responsible for the horrendous attacks across the globe. I am speaking up for the vast majority of peaceful Muslims who have unjustly been dumped with the burden of hate of those who do not understand who the real enemy is.

I can’t help but think back to what must have been going on years ago before the holocaust. People were afraid. They were afraid for the well-being of their country. So what did they do? They placed their trust in someone who was responsible for the death of over six million Jews. Another example of targeting one group of people happened right here on American soil. During the same time as the holocaust, America imprisoned thousands of Japanese Americans in camps of their own because of attacks by Japanese kamikazes. No, they were not exterminated, but the basic right of human freedom was violated due to an assumption that all Japanese Americans were as bad as the ones we were fighting in the jungle. I’m not saying that Muslims are going to be imprisoned and killed. I don’t expect anything remotely close to that happening. The reason I am tying the blame of terror on Muslims to examples of terrible things that happened to minorities in the past is because they are all rooted to the same beginning. Fear.

Fear causes people to do drastic things. After 9/11, suddenly Muslim Americans were all suspects. I admit, as a child post-9/11 I too would get a pang of fear every time I saw a woman with her face covered or a man wearing a prayer cap. It wasn’t until I actually learned about the religion that I realized that the terror done by Al-Qaeda, and now Isis, is not even remotely close to Islamic teachings. Yes, the Quran does speak of Jihad, but it’s not going and blowing up a building. The literal meaning of the word “Jihad” is to struggle or put in effort. To most Muslims, this means struggling and working hard to live as God would want them to live. They strive to be the best people they can be and to do good. Also, Jihad refers to anyone who dies in the name of Islam. This doesn’t refer to the suicide bombers or terrorists. It is the act of martyrdom, or being killed for believing in God.

Another reason that people accuse Islam of all terror is because of the verses in the Quran that promote war against nonbelievers. Although these verses exist, let’s keep something in mind here. The Quran was written in a time where war and forced conversion was common. Now, before you go saying that Islam is therefore a violent religion, take a look at the Old Testament in the Bible. I as a Catholic know that the Israelites were said to be commanded by God to slaughter men, women, and children in order to enter the Holy Land. So ask yourself, are all Christians violent and evil people? Of course not! Are some Christians bad people? Yes they are! So then why are Muslims getting all the blame for the actions of a minuscule group of rebels who aren’t even following their religion correctly? If anything, Muslims are victims just like the rest of us. According to Washington’s Blog on global research.org, 82 to 97 percent of all Isis victims are Muslims. People don’t realize that Isis kills more Muslims than any other religion. Still, people blame normal Muslims for not doing enough to speak out against terrorism, for not fighting back. I ask you, how can you expect Muslims in the middle east and countries around the world to fight back against a terrorist group that no one has been able to eradicate yet? The Saudi Arabian government has also formed a coalition of 34 other Middle Eastern countries to join together and fight terrorism. CNN reported this back in December of 2015. According to BBC news, Saudi Arabia is a part of the US-led military fight against IS targets in Syria. Riyadh also agreed to a US request to provide a training base for moderate Syrian rebel forces. BBC news also gives examples of many other nations in the Middle East and their efforts against terrorism.

I am a Catholic American speaking up for my Muslim brothers and sisters. I do this because there could come a day when my own religion is blamed for actions committed by a few. Maybe there will even be a day when Italian Americans, like myself, are targeted for something happening oversees. I would want someone to speak for me. I ask that all readers first learn the basic teachings of Islam before they jump to the conclusion that the religion teaches terrorism. I ask that readers think about what it means to be American, and what rights we have to practice our religion freely. Lastly, I ask my readers to think about any Muslim person they know or have come in contact with. Are they bad people? Do they scare you? I would assume the answer, for the most part is no. Don’t let fear change how you see groups of people you don’t know much about. Don’t cast blame on a large and wonderful portion of our world just because a few thousand out of a billion have taken their beliefs to the extreme. May I remind you of the KKK, the zealots, and saffron terror; all extremist groups of different faiths. Every religion has bad people in it. Every religion has dark areas. There is, however, so much love to be found. If we can all just turn to love and understanding then we can combat terror through peace.

Maybe one day we can say, “There was someone left there to speak for me.”