When news spread of the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena, it was hard to find someone who wasn’t shocked and horrified at the deaths of 22 people, many of them being underage, and the injuries of at least 59 more. Detonated at the end of an Ariana Grande concert, this apparent suicide bomb claimed by ISIS is the kind of attack that is, unfortunately, becoming more and more common in this day and age.

As a result, anti-Islamic sentiment is becoming more common, as well. With every article I read about the tragic events occurring at Manchester Arena, I saw comments denouncing the religion of Islam and its followers, claiming it to be a toxic faith that needs to be “wiped out.” As disturbing as I found the terrorist attack in Manchester to be, I find it equally disturbing that people are so willing to display their hateful rhetoric when events like this occur.

I am not Muslim, and I won’t pretend to know everything there is to know about the religion. I was raised by a Catholic family and went to Catholic school for 13 years. Catholicism, and by extent Christianity, is all that I have known. However, I was also raised to respect every religion as equally valid and valuable, and it is astounding to me that so many people in this world fail to have the basic human decency to do the same. The world has been so forgiving of Christian extremists, but why can it not be as forgiving of terrorists who use the religion of Islam to spread their hate?

And before you say that Christian extremists are not even remotely comparable to ISIS, let me remind you of the slave trade system that was a part of our not-so-pretty American history, where Africans were enslaved and treated as subhuman in the name of Jesus Christ. Or maybe I should talk about the Spanish Inquisition that wiped out much of the indigenous population of the Americas. What about the genocide of American Indians that was enacted by American colonizers because of Manifest Destiny, or the idea that it was their “God-given” right to steal land from indigenous people?

So-called “Christians” even use the name of God to support their white supremacist rhetoric. As a matter of fact, these “Christians” are a bigger threat to America than ISIS is—and yet you want to say that Islam is ruining western society?

I’m not bringing up these dark parts of Christian history to show that it is by any means a “bad” religion. Growing up in a Catholic household for my entire life, I have nothing but respect for Catholicism and Christianity as a whole. But if you are Christian, you should be well aware of the fact that the actions of individuals do not degrade the integrity and worth of the entire group.

Just a few days ago, two brave men were killed and another injured trying to stop a man from verbally harassing two teenage girls, one of whom was wearing a hijab. However, there has no mention of terrorism when discussing this tragic incident. Isn’t this kind of extremism just as terrifying and dangerous as the next? Or do people only care when someone uses the name of Islam to spout hateful speech?

The KKK consistently uses Christianity to support their hateful, racist rhetoric, and yet we are able to separate them as entities that are not representative of Christianity as a whole. Why can we not do the same with ISIS terrorists and Islam?

The terrorist attacks at Manchester Arena, and all of the other attacks in the past few years that are far too similar to it, are horrifying for anybody living on earth, regardless of political or religious beliefs. But do not use these attacks to advance your own political agenda. Do not use these attacks to somehow “prove” to people that we need Trump to “make America great again.” Do not use these attacks as evidence to support your hateful belief that Islam is a “terrorist” religion. Have some respect for the victims of this tragedy, and do not use these attacks to spread your hateful rhetoric.

There is still much that we do not know about this attack in Manchester, but regardless of whether or not ISIS is really responsible for it, attacks like this do not give anybody the right to condemn an entire religion.

Something must be done to end terrorism and the reign of horror it currently has over the world, but targeting Muslim people is not the answer. Don’t use tragedies like Manchester to make, or prove, a point. If you really want to make a change and truly work to end terrorism, you can start by donating to the victims of the Manchester attack and and contacting your state representatives and senators to make a call for change.

Terrorism has no religion, and hate has no boundaries. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t all make a difference in the world, even if through the smallest instances of love.