Decoding Islamophobia and Logical Thinking (from a non Muslim)

Today’s topic is highly controversial. Readers are advised to take a neutral perspective before reading this post. The reason I am writing this is because, we teenagers represent the future of the society, which I hope to be peaceful. I am not a scholar in any religion, but often great knowledge on a subject kills the reason. The problem is faced by common people, so, common people must rise to demand a better world to live in. Most people lack a complete knowledge about their own, and leave aside other religion, just like me. The knowledge of one’s own religion usually comes not from reading scriptures but what attitude the people around one have regarding one’s own religion or about someone else’s faith. For example, Western Christian memers often engage in making memes on crusades and the Promised Land. This is how non-Christians see the religion to be. In India, the Muslims are treated as minority and political pawns, by the political parties which make them cautious about their existence.

Now, come the important questions.
Are all Muslims terrorists?
Absolutely not. Any one can say that.

Then what makes most non-Muslims feel “uncomfortable” around Muslims?
 The answer lies in deep prejudice. Though all Muslims are not terrorists but sadly, almost all terrorists are Muslims. Moderate Muslims may say that they don’t represent true Islam, but the terrorists themselves claim to be Muslims, which makes non-Muslims judge the entire community.

The solution to the problem is accepting the problem. We must accept that our society suffers from Islamophobia. We are not concerned about how many are Islamophobes but as long as there is existence of this baseless fear, we must unite to support both the afraid and the feared. As long as, we stay aloof of the situation and continue to get our information from petty articles and memes spreading hatred, the fear is staying with us.

Just as there are fearsome terrorists who identify with Islam, there are great people who were Mulims. Take the examples of APJ Abdul Kalam and Ashfaqullah Khan. The latter ‘killed’ British officials to strengthen the freedom movement of India. But he remains a hero along with several other Indian revolutionaries, both Muslims and Non-Muslims, unlike these terrorists. We cannot deny that the rise of terrorism in modern times is due to intervention of Foreign Nations in internal affairs of the ‘Muslim’ countries. The patriots of the respective countries fought for their wellbeing, and up to that everything was almost all right. Problem arose when the leaders of some nations wished for the doom of their ‘enemy’ nations and planned of killing innocent people. Politics which involves killing innocent people is never right, however great the cause is.

If we talk of Christianity, Hitler was a Christian, so, Christianophobia should also have been a term regularly used by the modern citizens of a global village. Many were killed in crusades and French Reign of Terror, which again involved Christians.

Talking of Hinduism, Sati (An abolished system in which widows were burnt on the funeral pyre with the corpse of their husbands), Polygamy, and Casteism were evils once prevalent in Indian subcontinent. But Hinduphobia doesn’t spread.

Showing negative points on all religions doesn’t defend the wrong doings of a handful of people who are bent upon bringing doom to the beautiful world. We should learn more about the feelings of others, and learn to think with logic and reason without getting carried away by hatred and power.

Actually, the genocides practiced by other religions as compared to by ‘Muslims’ is fairly recent which makes them look as ‘villains’. Prejudices like Muslims don’t have to work; they will take over the world, etc. are at play in the minds of several people. The politicians often make the Muslims feel inferior and minority, when the community is absolutely all right, just for getting votes. Playing with their sentiments is not what makes them terrorists but carry a general air of hostility around them. Secularism must rise. The leaders who play with people’s sentiments, fill people with hatred must be boycotted internationally. Feeling afraid of terrorists is being terrorized which is what they want! We should all stand up together, irrespective of differences, united under the scientific name of Homo sapiens.Human beings should rise against hatred not a community.