I would like to preface this article by clearly stating the main point I am trying to make: By turning a whole religion and culture into a derogatory label, too many people are hurting one of the most important frameworks of our country.

Over this election season I have seen the most vulgar and uneducated hatred spewed over social media. This has stemmed from many different sources including certain presidential candidates (who I will not name for the sake of not perpetuating an already obvious problem). The bottom line is that this has to stop.

How, you ask?

I understand that the fear of terrorism plays a large role in this issue. What should be made clear is that there are very real Muslim terrorist groups out there but they do not represent all Muslims, they represent Muslim terrorists. The difference between the two groups is critical. Also the fact that terrorism, as far as most citizens are aware of, is associated with only Muslim groups, which is a problem.

Terrorism in the very base of the word, “terror” has been going on for the entirety of human history, from all ends of the world and all ranges of diversity. It really comes down to what’s happening right now in the history of the world. Ever since 9/11, we have become a hyper paranoid culture that fears the very possibility of being attacked.

One of the many repercussions of this fear has been the politicization of the title “Muslim.” For example, Obama is still constantly called a Muslim by everyday citizens, despite the fact that he has always openly been a Christian, practices Christian tradition, and consistently talks about being a Christian. I personally do not care what his religion is, but I do care that something so obviously untrue has become a common belief when the original accusation was made to defame a political figure. Calling someone a Muslim should not be a negative remark in any way, it should just be a statement of someone’s actual religious belief.

And yet, ever since Obama’s first election season in 2010, this has continued. According to a CNN/ORC poll done in September, 29 percent of Americans and 43 percent of Republicans said that they believed Obama was Muslim. So, as a nation founded on freedom of religion, why are we trying to tell anyone what they actually believe in when they persistently tell us otherwise?

This brings me back to my original point. Our first amendment clearly states that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Out of respect to that very right that we are granted, maybe treating congress with that same principle makes sense. If we want to actually talk about becoming a more unified nation maybe, just maybe, we should start acting like one. The government does not tell us what we believe in, and in response we should not tell government officials what they believe in.

“Laws alone can not secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population.”

― Albert Einstein