Terrorism isn’t Religious

The invention of online media has given us the biggest changes our society has seen. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat Instagram, Skype – all these media platforms gave us the opportunities to venture out: keeping close contacts with friends and family, raising awareness of conflicting issues, exploring bigger and better things that we couldn’t even imagine.

But the media always has a way of twisting certain situations into something explosive, especially when it comes to reporting incidents: terrorist attacks.

As a proud Muslim, I know that journalists’ words won’t harm me because I know that they’re wrong. But one view isn’t going to convince every single person in this society that all Muslims aren’t what is presented on the news. When an attack of the sort is broadcasted, many people and media outlets will claim Islam as the scapegoat. They blame us before anything else.

Why?

Because of the names that are given. Osama Bin Laden, Salman Ramadan Abedi, Youssef Zaghba to call a few – all these names sound Muslim. But these people only claim to be Muslim, they used the religion to treat their needs, misinterpreting the words of the Quran to commit these horrific sins. To me, and to a lot of other believers, that’s down to them them. It's them being selfish.

The media doesn’t see that. They just associate those sick people with believers of a peaceful faith.

What struck me most is an article I found a few years ago by the Daily Express. The headline – ‘MUSLIMS TELL BRITISH: GO TO HELL!’ was surprising. The message just isn’t clear. According to the UK census of 2011, there are almost 3 million British Muslims. As a British Muslim myself, I feel that it is almost saying that I should say 'go to hell'… to myself. - That is all types of confusing, but that’s what the media does. It doesn’t take in consideration of what they say could have an impact on and alienate people like me.

The meaning of Islam is peace. So why are Muslims persecuted and abused in all sorts of ways, turned into something they aren’t? Reports on numerous events: 9/11, the Parisian attacks, The Manchester attack, have all been blamed on Islam. It still shocks me that the term 'Islamic extremism’ has been defined by the British government – they are literally putting two opposites next to each other and normalising it. It isn’t normal to me or a lot of British Muslims.

There are many terrorist attacks that are blamed on Muslims, and not just from Islamophobes. Take the Rohingya persecution in Myanmar, for an example. Burning houses to the ground, gang rapes, extrajudicial killings – both victims and attackers are Muslim. So we can see that it’s not the faith that is associated with the terror, it’s the people.

I wear a hijab because I feel proud to be Muslim and I want to express my faith, I have the right to. I know that makes me a target of Islamophobia – I’ve seen it happen, but it doesn’t mean that I shy away from the threats that I should 'go to prison', or people mocking what I wear.

I find it incredibly frustrating that I have to deal with this image that doesn’t even represent the truth about myself, because of the actions of sick people.

Terrorism isn’t religious. Why does the media claim that it is?

#Islamophobia #Themedia #Terrorism