'We are Muslims, not terrorists'

Media exploitation of terrorist operations carried out by some people belonging to Islam (and amplifying them for various religious, political or marketing reasons) may play a role in linking Islam to terrorism across the entire world, until eventually Muslims are treated like terrorists everywhere they go.

If we look impartially at terrorism, we find that it does not belong to a particular religion or race. Terrorist organisations are spread from the east to the west, and recruit Buddhists, Communists, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jews and Muslims.

In addition, if we tally the victims of terrorism throughout history, Muslims are most often the victims. Muslims suffered from terrorism from the beginning of the Islam prophet's call, where his people practised all kinds of terrorism and torture. Their suffering endured with the crimes of Mughal terrorism in the 13th century, where the Mughals killed millions of Muslims from Central Asia to the borders of Egypt.

Their suffering returned with the Spanish Inquisition in the 15th century and came back again in the last century with Soviet communism in the Balkans.

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This century the series continues in Burma, Nepal and Uyghurstan.

Islam is one of the religions that has fought terrorism, rejected it, and called for peace and love. Even the word "Islam" in Arabic is derived from the word "peace", and we Muslims believe the Islam prophet was sent by Allah as mercy to the worlds. The mercy of Islam included animals and plants as well as man. Islam teachings prioritise Muslims treating others with the utmost humanity.

The Riyadh Summit, held in May this year in the presence of United States President Donald Trump and the leaders of 50 Arab and Islamic countries, may have been the first step in the process of breaking the association of terrorism with Islam.

We are Muslims, not terrorists.

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