Peace be upon you! :D
Firstly, thank you for sharing this piece of news with us. :)
Some highlights of the article:
- In addition, the report notes, “the number of arrests relating to Islamist terrorism (110) decreased by 41 percent compared to 2008, which continues the trend of a steady decrease since 2006.”
- Islamist groups were responsible for a whopping 0.34 percent of all terrorist incidents in Europe in 2009. (One out of a total of 294 cases.)
- Islamophobia.
I just want to touch a bit on Islamophobia, which is the prejudice against, hatred or fear of Islam or Muslims, as defined by Wikipedia. This, as many claim, is largely influenced by the bad media Islam has been getting since long time ago. Many also claim that the reason for this is the media is somewhat controlled by “a strong unseen force” which is also “running” the world (ie. haha you know… Zionists). How true is this, we do not know for sure. But one thing that we do know is, we have very little power over the mainstream media. So how do we get rid of Islamophobia, still?
Media is not the only thing which affects one’s mind and perception; real life experience, too, plays a significant role. Believe it or not, it takes only one person to validate or nullify a stereotype. Remember finding yourself saying “ahh, not all *insert a certain group of race here* are like that..”? haha yes.
Some stereotypes tied to us Muslims are disintegrated from the community, forceful and violent, I suppose? That is the reason such phobia exists. So to counter such negative views, we ourselves have to play our roles to show non-Muslims that we are not “Bad Guys”. We can’t expect the media to do it for us, right?
One formula to do this: Be a good Muslim. Embrace the values endorsed by our religion. Be a good friend, colleague, neighbour to your non-Muslims peers. be a good citizen: abide law and regulation (as long as it does not clash with the religion’s teachings). Practice patience when insulted, or faced with uncomfortable instances, instead of retaliating, for it would only reiterate the violent stereotype. Show how Islam is beautiful, but dont shove it down their throats. haha. Get what I mean?
When one manages to practice Islam wholly and is at the same time integrated to the society, slowly he/she will eradicate the stereotype in the minds of the non-Muslims around him/her. Insyallah, one day, they would tell their friends “Hey, no. Not all Muslims are like that. The Muslims I know are *insert positive remarks here*.” :D
We really need to show the world that we, the practicing Muslims, are the true representatives of Islam; and definitely NOT THE MEDIA.
Wallahua’lam.
P.S. Muslims should be outstanding professionals! Be well-known for discovering new knowledge, innovating new things. No, not to feel superior, but to represent the Deen. Maybe then, we would get good press? Yes, Hereafter is our ultimate goal, but don’t you think rectifying the religion’s image is our responsibility and an Ibadah, too? It all boils down to our intentions. :)