Tragedy in Paris

The attacks and acts of terrorism that occurred in Paris last week are a true tragedy to the people of France and the world. However, I want to make opinion on one thing clear. I believe that to point fingers and place blame on Islam is incredibly ignorant. I feel this is especially true of people who pick out parts of Islamic texts that depict violence. When I hear and read these comments of Islam being a violent religion I cannot help but wonder if they if they have read the entirety of the texts that they take their quotes from. Or even if they have read the entirety of Jewish or Christian religious texts. Most people refuse to acknowledge the multiple depictions of violence of violence in the Bible or the Torah. In addition to this they are blind to the true meaning of the texts they are quoting. The passages that call for the killing of "heretics" are not referring to the killing of Jews or Christians. The "heretics" that are mentioned are people who pray to and practice religions of multiple gods or goddesses.

I also wonder if these people have taken or retained any information from any world history class. Historically, more violence has been committed in the name of Christianity than in the name of Islam. A key example of this are the Crusades of Europe. During this period of time, Christians from Europe went to the Middle East in order to reclaim the Holy Land as theirs. It was during this that Christians killed and displaced many people regardless of whether they were Muslim or not. I also have yet to learn of a period in history when people were forced into converting to Islam through the use of violence or persecute a group of people based on their faith. And, from what I have learned, Islamic rule was mostly peaceful.

Lastly, terrorist groups like ISIS, Al Quaeda, and Boko Haram, who claim to be Islamic, are not truly Islamic! They, like those making comments against Islam, pick and choose which pieces of Islamic religious texts that they want to follow. And these passages are chosen because they are the passages that best serve their own interests. They do not practice Islam in the way it is meant to be practiced. It's for this reason that they are not an accurate representation of the entire Islamic community. Islam is a religion of peace and acceptance, and anyone who says otherwise is severely wrong. Think of it this way. No one judges the entirety of Christianity based on the actions of the KKK. For many this would seem ridiculous because the KKK make up a small percentage of all Christians. If this is the case, why shouldn't the same logic be applied to these terrorist groups and Islam?

So, in response to this tragic event, I choose to stand in solidarity with the victims of this violence and their families. But I also stand in solidarity with those who are being falsely accused of violence and terrorism because of their faith.