The glorification of self-destruction to destroy others for various reasons is as ancient as pre-Biblical times. Islam is wrongly infamous for being an advocate of terrorism, but the truth is quite the contrary.

Islam is a religion that preaches peace and is often described as an action of returning to God, a rather tranquil religion, really. So why are there hostile connotations associated with Muslims?

Media. Have you ever turned on the T.V. and heard something positive about the Islamic world? Highly unlikely. It’s likely you hear headlines regarding radical terrorists who have sparked mishap and melancholy worldwide.

These stories should have worldwide attention, the problem is, many jump to conclusions, which then leads to having adverse presumptions about the Islamic community itself.

Now it’s understandable why people have these ideas about Muslims, primarily because of the attacks on the United States of America on September 11, 2001.The tragedy dwells upon every American, especially upon the families of the 2,996 who were murdered. This is also the second terror attack in U.S. history on U.S. soil.

In the wake of this contemporary terror, many people developed what we call islamophobia, a term coined to “take account of the increasingly widespread bigotry.”

Extreme Muslim fundamentalists in fear of their culture or values being in danger, resort to terrorism, including suicide bombings, to defend their fundamental beliefs. Although it is hard to understand what motivates suicide bombers, it is understood that they are motivated by their perception of the world and it’s harshness and injustice (given, not all suicide bombers are Muslim). Casualties are then seen as an inevitable consequence of fighting for their justified cause.

Muslim suicide bombers justify their actions with their religion and their interpretation of jihad. According to meforum.org, most recent jihadists justify their personal theories of violent jihad through Sayyid Qutb, one of the most influential Islamist thinkers of the twentieth century.

Besides islamophobes, if that’s what you’d like to call those who developed islamophobia, we have the devout Muslims who do not believe that these terrorist attacks are excusable through religion, nor do they portray a single true preaching of Islam. Half of this is true: the attacks to not depict any true preaching of Islam, but they are excused through religion.

Most recently, the Charlie Hebdo massacre offers further proof of the false accusations opposed on Muslims. The Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical newspaper, emphasis on satirical, known for its cartoons.

In total, twelve people were killed, including journalists, police officers, a caretaker and a visitor. Witnesses said they had heard the gunmen shouting “We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad” and “God is Great” in Arabic while calling out the names of the journalists.

In that moment, the terrorists justified the violence through religion. The terrorists identify with Islam and clearly excuse their actions in the name of God.

With this being said, those murderers are radical Islamists who may be Muslim, but they identify with jihad, not Islam as a moral religion.

You’ve probably heard that a few bad apples don’t spoil a bunch, and figuratively speaking, this is true. In relation to Muslims being thought of as terrorists, not all Muslims are terrorists because of the 9/11 attack or the Charlie Hebdo massacre.

Asking people to accept this statement is difficult because there will still be a sense of fear existing among people for a variety of reasons, including preconceived thoughts about Muslims as an entirety.

As a democracy where all men are created equal, it is dangerous if we condone stereotyping, prejudice, and just plain ignorance in regards to the Islamic world.

It is not possible to spread democracy throughout the world if we as a country have wrongful and disapproving beliefs about Muslims. One cannot advocate a life of freedom, opportunity, and equality if we allow loathsome notions to manifest throughout Americans.

Regardless of one’s religious identification, they should not be treated differently. Islam does not condone terrorism or violence, so before you allow yourself to accept the thought that Muslims are terrorists, remember the everlasting words of our Founding Fathers, “all men are created equal.”