The recent spurt of attacks on global security has raised many concerns and fears, but what it has done is also corner a certain religion. Remember after 9/11 happened, every Muslim was subject to suspicious looks. They would be randomly frisked, say, at airports and people would just give them glares enough to make them uncomfortable.
Since then, a normal, average Muslim has found it difficult to break ice, particularly in the West. From being called ‘Ladens’ to being treated as a perennial threat, the religion took quite a beating.
The Paris attacks have shifted the focus back to the Muslims, but this time around, it isn’t hatred. The Muslim community from all over the globe has joined hands to show the the perpetrators of the brutal attacks belong to a different breed and they are using social media platforms to make their voices heard.
For instance, in Carolina, Muslims came out in huge numbers condemning the IS, chanting slogans like “Not in my name,” and “Muslims condemn ISIS.” In fact ‘Not in my Name’ is trending and scores of Muslims are joining this campaign to tell the world that Islam isn’t dictating these mindless attacks.
These people believe that the IS is a completely different wing and has got nothing to do with what ‘real’ Islam is. They’re enraged with what is happening in the world and they are on a mission to prove that not all Muslims are violence preachers.
In fact, thousands of Indian Muslims have condemned the Islamic State and leaders of several Islamic mosques, education institutions and civic groups across India have signed a fatwa that deems that Islamic state as inhuman and un-Islamic.
For a country that has the third largest Muslim population, this is a big step.
The idea is to understand that it isn’t a religion that’s a fault. It’s a sect, a group that is misleading youngsters who are naive and feeding them false religious sentiments to convert them into cold blooded murderers.