Everyone Just Likes to Hate Us

It’s always the ones who are against everyone that think they know the most, at least that’s what they believe. Westerners are weirdly obsessed with the idea that Islam is a constant threat to their existence. Firstly, with the bombing of the Twin Towers in New York City, following with the horrific Boston bombings, as well as the fatal Quebec Mosque shooting, Muslims have always been at the forefront of the media, and not in a positive light.

Although the Quebec shooting wasn’t actioned by a Muslim, it’s pretty obvious that it was on everybody's mind, especially islamophobes who hoped to have another reason to justify their hate. When these attacks are carried out, it’s tragic for the victim’s families but no one ever considers the negative impacts this has on the Muslim community. We’re always blamed, we’re always targeted, and no one really wants to listen, mostly because they’re just too close-minded. As much as it’s hard to believe, the Muslim community suffers the most during these attacks. Anti-muslim hate crimes used to be the second-least reported, but in 2001, they became the second-highest reported among religious-bias incidents, after anti-Jewish hate crimes.

Additionally, Islamophobes have openly compared the holy Qur’an to the revolting Mein Kampf written by Adolf Hitler, which spewed his hatred and ideologies. They often like to believe that Islam is a religion of hate and serves as an agenda to achieve a complete power of the world and wants everyone around them to be Muslim. They never consider the Muslim's point of view, they never want to learn about Islam, and most of them don’t even know a Muslim personally. Some of them go as far as to kill them or throw acid at them, which has grown popular in Newham which is the London borough with the highest number of acid attacks. It also has the second highest percentage of Muslims in the UK. 398 acid attacks occurred in five years in the area.

Islamophobes' favourite argument for being anti-Islam is that Islam doesn’t give any rights to women and treats them lower to men. Maybe if they cracked open a Qur’an once in a while, they would know that Islam actually promotes the status of women and considers men and women as equals. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) would be furious at how Islamic countries are treating women under Sharia Law. But the recent oppression of women is formed by culture and history and has a minimal basis on the Qur’an. It is certainly not consistent with anything we know about what Muhammad (PBUH) taught or how he treated women. Of all the founders of the great religions, Muhammad (PBUH) was easily the most radical and empowering in his treatment of women. He was simply history’s first feminist.

*PBUH: Peace Be Upon Him