Are all Muslims Terrorists?: By Sanjida Alam, QC Student

Presidential hopeful Tom Tancredo, a Representative for Colorado, told 30 people at a town hall meeting in Osceola, Iowa, that the best way he can think of to deter a nuclear attack on U.S soil by terrorists is to threaten to retaliate with attacking Islamic holy sites such as Mecca and Medina. When the media juggernaut CNN ran this article on their website, they were met with an overwhelming response. While the majority of the respondents opposed his plan, there were many people who congratulated him for his bold statement and finally taking a stand for this country. "I totally agree with him"; "We should have hit Mecca and Medina on Sept 12, 2001, just for a warm up" and "Tancredo’s comments are spot on! The best time to hit these sites would be when they are full of worshippers" are among the dozens of responses from people who supported Congressman Tancredo. As I read through the hundreds of responses one thing became blatantly clear, in America there is a stigma that goes with being a Muslim. Over the last few years, the ways Americans perceive Muslims have changed dramatically. The word "Muslim" has become synonymous with terrorism. People living in America have a pre-conceived notion that all Muslims hate Americans and other Non-Muslims. I grew up in the Middle Eastern country known as United Arab Emirate. This is predominantly a Muslim country but growing up I saw Santa Clause and beautifully decorated Christmas Trees peeking through people’s windows and in store fronts. My family and I attended many Christmas parties, so the concept that all Muslim hates Non-Muslims was not only unheard of, it was unfathomable.
Islam is a 7th century monotheistic religion introduced by Muhammad (SAW). It is the second largest religion in the world following Christianity. Muslim people come from all corners of the earth, such as, Asia, Africa, China, Western Europe and the Middle East. There are two major sects that make up the demographics of Islam, Sunni group and Shi’a group. There are 30-40 countries around the world with Muslim majority population. Middle East accounts for only 20% of all the Muslims worldwide while South Asia and Southeast Asia contain the most populous Muslim countries, with Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India having more than 100 million Muslims in each country. It is also one of the fastest growing religion today. Around 1.4 billion people follow the teachings of Islam. Muslims believe that God revealed his final message to humanity through prophet Muhammad (SAW) via the angel Gabriel. For them, Muhammad was God’s final prophet and the Quran is the book of divine guidance for mankind. According to the Quran there are five duties that every Muslims must follow in the course of their life. They must fast during Ramadan, make a pilgrimage to Mecca, pay taxes to charity, pray five times a day and belief in the oneness of God. Minority of the Muslims also considers Jihad to be the sixth pillar.
The word Jihad has become increasingly controversial around the world since 9/11. Jihad means struggle to improve oneself and or society in the way of god. The true meaning of jihad is not conversion of non-muslims using force but rather expanding the Islamic state. After Muhammad’s death on 632 A.D, tribal war and fight for dominance broke out througout Middle East. Somewhere along the making of history the word "Jihad" lost it’s origianl defination and today it is known as holy warfare. After some intense research it was clear that Jihad is more political than it ever was religious.
After 9/11 are Tom Tancredo’s supporters justified for their anger? The terrorists destroyed two landmarks that was the heart and soul of New York City. New Yorkers use to look at the twin Tower with pride. It showed wealth and power. It not only made the New York skyline look beautiful but that very image has persuaded millions of tourists to visit New York City. Destroying the building took away a part of history that New Yorker’s were extremely proud of. After this retaliation seems to be the logical thing to do. However, as Americans and being the most powerful country in the world, should we answer violence with violence? Should we also play the same game the terrorists are playing? Should we also be tear apart families and destroy innocent lives? These terrorists are using Islam for their own incentives. They have taken Islam hostage and it is up to us and most importantly is it up to the Muslims to raise up and claim back what’s rightfully theirs.