The Great Islam Debate.

Lately, I have noticed a recurrence in media xenophobia towards Islam.

I am not Muslim. But somehow throughout the years I have found myself fascinated with the origins of Islam. I am schooled in the story of the Prophet and well versed in Muslim history since his death in 632. I had an incredibly wise history teacher in high school who, in a post 9/11 world, knew the importance of teaching her students about Islam and teaching them not to believe everything the media demonizes.
And as everyone can remember, life was not good for Muslims after 9/11. The fact that an extremist terrorism organization, who happened to be extremist Muslims, wreaked such havoc on the United States did some serious damage to the perception of Muslims and the religion of Islam.

While the sting has faded a bit (though not everywhere), I still find that anytime a news story comes up where someone in the story is Muslim, public opinion is quick to judge the incidents as "religiously related". For example, with the killing of the three young Montreal women in Kingston and their relative (who, unfortunately for stereotypical reasons, turned out to be their father's wife number one of two) the press and readers were quick to assume that their deaths were "honour killings" - though several family members refute this possibility.

Islam is a peaceful religion but many non-Muslims don't see it this way. About twenty percent of the world's population is Muslim - how is it that such a small number of fanatics can chance the perception of an entire fifth of the planet?? At the end of the day, is it religion or regionalism? There are a few misconceptions about Islam I will address now:

First and foremost: TERRORISM. The big ugly word most often associated with Muslims these days. But really this is often just a case of regionalism. Islam was born in the Middle-East and almost all Muslims there are NOT terrorists. Unfortunately, the conception of a terrorist today is almost always Muslim. But the question is not about whether or not they are Muslim, it comes down to the fact that Americans are occupying a great deal of land in the MidEast nad people there are pissed! Give CNN a spin on it and all of a sudden "Moslims are seeking Jihad in the war against Freedom and Democracy"

UGHHHHHHHHHHH. The concept of Jihad in Islam IS a battle - but it is meant to be a battle within yourself to acheive the five tenants and principles of Islam.

I won't turn this into a lesson on religion but if you think about it Islam has little to do with the suicide bombers, the insurgents, etc. They may all be Muslim - and the chances are good considering what part of the world they live in - but that has nothing to do with why they are "terrorists". Americans (and Canadians, unfortunately) - most of whom are NOT Muslim - are killing hundreds of innocent civillians a year in Afghanistan and Iraq. Does that make them terrorists too? Let's not go there today. I merely mean to defend Islam.

Secondly, I find a hotly contested issue within Islam (and this is an issue that plagues both Muslims and non-Muslims a great deal) is the treatment of women. While many women make the choice to cover themselves up, in some places it is forced among other things. In Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to leave the country without the permission of their father or husband. The Taliban, of course, are the worst culprites for treating women unjustly and their mysogonistic crimes run long and deep. But at the end of the day, and everyone knows it to be true, women are mistreated all over the world. I am not excusing it BY ANY MEANS, but I am highlighting the fact that so many people who are critical of Islam merely based on stereotypes of Muslim women should examine their own cultures too, and see maybe that there is no where in the world where women are mistreated.

Can we say Catholic Church much!? Or Hinduism?! Or Judaism? For the most part, anywhere where ORGANIZED religion is present women will be mistreated. The earliest fundamentals of most major religions rarely say anything about the subjugation of women. It is the later documents written during times of extreme male power that we see a shift.

Realistically speaking, most Muslim households are run by the women of the house. Does a woman really need to wear revealing clothing in order for us to believe that she is liberated? If a woman choses to to keep her body private isn't she more free than a woman who feels obliged to show her body in order to be validated?

There are two sides to every story.

I realize this is a rant of epic proportions - it is difficult to take on the defense of a religion when you are mostly agnostic and certainly do not believe in institutionalized religion. What I DO believe in is allowing people to worship what they believe in without passing judgement - so long as they are not hurting others nor passing judgement upon you.

Keep in mind that most, if not all, stereotypes about Muslims are erroneous. Open your mind and your heart to a religion that has a beautiful and deep cultural and social history.


For positive perspective on Islam through art - check out K'naan. K'naan was a Somalian refugee who came to Toronto during the civil war. He taught himself English and has become a successful singer/rapper - though you won't hear him singing about bitches n' hoz or how much he hates Mariah Carey. He sings about how lucky he is for having his faith - and he is a devout Muslim - and to have his freedom.