Often scorned and associated with terrorists, innocent Muslims around the world have suffered ridicule, discrimination, abuse, torture, and murder. Much of America’s misinformation and prejudice against the sect has been perpetuated by odious media platforms like FOX ‘News’ and conservative ‘hate radio’ talk hosts like Rush Limbaugh. These brainwashing political pundits continue to propagate fear-based messages about Islam to the pubic—on a daily basis. Hate speech is also rampantly spewed on social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. Even with ramped-up threats by the networks to ban TOS abuse, the vitriol seems uncontrollable.
After the September 911 terrorist attacks in 2001, many Muslims in America became victims of countless hate crimes based on how they looked. Some Muslim citizens were arrested and detained for years, suspected of being connected to terrorist groups and leaders like Osama Bin Laden. Over the last decade, the perception of Muslims in America has improved very little. And in 2013, a terrorist bombing during the Boston Marathon, set progress way back, again.
To make matters worse, the terrorist militia group, ISIS, began growing in size and exposure over the last several years. They gained publicity by committing heinous crimes, then publicizing them over the Internet. The perception of Muslims worsened as the general public witnessed videos of beheadings, burnings, crucifixions and human atrocities that used false justice and religion to justify the killings.
Contempt against Muslims greatly intensified immediately after November’s murderous ISIS attacks on Paris, Beirut, and the Russian airline.
Now, more than ever, Muslims are speaking out globally. A group of British Muslims launched a campaign in September of 2015 to fight the stereotypes and dispel the terrorist perception. The #NotInMyName Twitter hashtag has taken off, along with a video created by Active Change Foundation.
Here is the short transcription:
The ISIS do not represent Islam or any Muslim
-Because it’s totally unIslamic
-Because you’re killing innocent people
-Because you’re unjust
#NotInMyName
-Because your leader is a liar
-Because your actions to not acutely represent the actions of the Rightly-Guided Companions
-Because your terror doesn’t represent the
-Because what you’re doing is inhumane
-Because you have no compassion
#NotInMyName
#NotInMyName
#NotInMyName…
Here is the YouTube video:
Thank you to Active Change Foundation for creating and posting this video and for the work they do. Thank you to Rachael Christine for the story inspiration. Ans thank you to Muslims around the world for your mighty courage in the face of extreme racism, misunderstanding, ignorance, and lies.
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always
― Mahatma Gandhi
