The Islamic State, commonly known as ISIS, has officially taken responsibility for the attack on Paris. Below is an excerpt of their statement:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent

Allah (ta'ala) said, {They thought that their fortresses would protect them from Allah but Allah came upon them from where they had not expected, and He cast terror into their hearts so they destroyed their houses by their own hands and the hands of the believers. So take warning, O people of vision} [Al-Hashr:2].

In a blessed battle whose causes of success were enabled by Allah, a group of believers from the soldiers of the Caliphate (may Allah strengthen and support it) set out targeting the capital of prostitution and vice, the lead carrier of the cross in Europe - Paris. This group of believers were youth who divorced the worldly life and advanced towards their enemy hoping to be killed for Allah's sake, doing so in support of His religion, His Prophet (blessing and peace be upon him), and His allies. They did so in spite of His enemies. Thus, they were truthful with Allah — we consider them so — and Allah granted victory upon their hands and cast terror into the hearts of the crusaders in their very own homeland.

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Allah blessed our brothers and granted them what they desired. They detonated their explosive belts in the masses of the disbelievers after finishing all their ammunition. We ask Allah to accept them amongst the martyrs and to allow us to follow them.

Let France and all nations following its path know that they will continue to be at the top of the target list for the Islamic State and that the scent of death will not leave their nostrils as long as they partake in the crusader campaign, as long as they dare to curse our Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him), and as long as they boast about their war against Islam in France and their strikes against Muslims in the lands of the Caliphate with their jets, which were of no avail to them in the filthy streets and alleys of Paris. Indeed, this is just the beginning. It is also a warning for any who wish to take heed.

(And to Allah belongs all honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know) [Al-Munafiqun: 8].

In the wake of the ISIS attacks, Muslims are left in a terrible situation. The above-mentioned statement makes it seem as though the Islamic religion is violent and malicious in nature. But we must remember that ISIS is an extremist group. Their viewpoints are drastic, skewed, and not at all in line with the teachings of the Qur'an.The actions of ISIS are tainting Islam and Muslims.

Since the strikes on Paris countless Muslims have been targeted and disrespected. A Muslim woman was pushed in front of a train in London, another Muslim woman was punched by a man in Melbourne, and British Muslim students were victimized by a coach driver. Though none were specifically identified as acts of racism, there was clearly some racial bias towards the Muslims. This is not acceptable.

Think about how you would feel if your religion was blamed for the actions of one or a few individuals. Are all Christians like the Westboro Baptist Church? Are all Germans responsible for Hitler and the Nazis? No. So why treat all Muslims like they, and their religion, are to blame?

The video below helps highlight how many Muslims are feeling. They too hope for a solution and a world without ISIS.