Unfortunately, in this world the recurring theme of good battling evil, will always prevail. There are almost eight billion people in this world and, odds are, not all of them will be good. And what I mean by good is a human who possesses passion and a desire to live and lead a conscious life full of charity and love. Islam and the term "radical Islam" are being spread all over the news in papers, magazines, blog posts, social media apps and they have the power to strike up a heated debate between two people. Why? Because it is something that is threatening our easygoing nature — to live and lead good lives. It is something that shakes us all at our core because it is real and it is happening.

Terrorism, mostly at the hands of what we deem "radical Islam," has taken the lives and souls of many loved ones. In 2015 alone there were 2865 ISIS attacks in over 50 countries. The deaths are unconscionable and unjust, yet we stand here today thinking of weak-minded strategies to take out a group of inhumane beings all because we lack one thing — information about what Islam actually is and what we call "radical Islam." People speak of Islam as if they are informed about what it preaches. People will say Islam is this and Islam is that but, if they really did know the religion, I could tell you for sure that they would know the people we are up against are not Islamic — they are the most irrational, psychopathic people to ever walk the face of the earth and that's putting it lightly.

The purpose of this article is to inform you about why we are not winning this war against ISIS and why it is so easy for them to attack us like they do. America and most of the world battling ISIS have not educated themselves. We all simply store and believe what we hear from people and the television. But I encourage you to pick up a Quran in English. I encourage you to read about the Prophet Mohammad who spent his life spreading the word of Allah and battling people who tried to take his land. There is much miscommunication here — mostly ignorance, actually. Until we unite around the common ground of education, we will never defeat the malignant forces the world has given us.

Islam is written on the premises of five pillars. The five pillars, written in the Quran are a staple to each Muslim. Each of those pillars for Muslims is a duty, an upkeeping to thyself and Allah. It is so Muslims can lead a life of love, dedication, peace and sacrifice. I have sat down and read the Quran in English twice, translated by two different authors. I also read a book about Prophet Muhammad. I did come across the Sword Verses that were put in the Quran a very long time ago. They are verses meant to defend the Muslim tribe that was behind Muhammad. At that time, the Romans were trying to take over and conquer certain areas where the Muslims inhabited. In defense, the Sword Verses were created to defend the Muslims and their honor to Allah. But it is made clear by Prophet Muhammad from Allah that killing for any other reason besides self defense is not tolerated and therefore, if it is done, you will not be forgiven.

That is only the beginning of what I want to write about Islam. But, like I said, the point of this article is to show you why we cannot understand or defeat ISIS. The jihadists who sacrifice their lives to take innocent souls, the jihadists who train young boys from age four to kill and rape, the jihadists who kidnap babies and rape mothers because they can, do not know Islam. They cannot understand Islam. They use Islam as a means to blame. They distort and ruin for others the name of Islam. They do this solely because they want to, not because the Quran states something that was meant for defense in war when the Romans came to conquer their land. Once we can all realize that we are not at war with Islam but, rather, with a group of people senselessly trying to conquer parts of the world, then we will be able to unite against them, under solidarity and peace.

Once we all educate ourselves instead of listening to the media and listening to the people around us; once we realize that we are not battling one of the world's oldest religions; once we realize we are smarter and we are wiser; once we realize there's no blame to be placed— that's when we will be able to take out the people who undermine our place in this world. That's when we will be able to stop pointing fingers and start holding hands. We cannot keep arguing about things that we don't take the time to educate ourselves on, because look where it's gotten us. Leaders around the globe fall victim to this and they are the ones ultimately making the decisions. When we put aside the name calling and the judgments, then we will be able to establish a strong common ground. Only then will we be able to overlook the past and create a better future.

I implore you — open your mind and understand what we are truly up against, because I hope for victory one day.