THE RIGHT RESPONSE

In Islam we believe, whoever kills an innocent person, it is as if they've killed all of humanity. Therefore, ISIS is not Muslim and is not the face of Islam. In Islam we believe, whoever kills an innocent person, it is as if they’ve killed all of humanity. That’s why all Muslims stand together against ISIS. Therefore terrorism has no religion and terrorism is not the face of Islam. I have people coming to me at school, this week, and last week telling me that because I am a Muslim, I am a terrorist. And this is something I go through every day of my life. And it’s become worse since what happened in France. But how is this affecting Muslims around the world? If you haven’t heard, on November 15th, a man pushed a Muslim woman into an oncoming underground train, in London. Why? Because she was wearing a headscarf and she was a Muslim. Imagine being that woman, and having to wake up every day and walk out your door, knowing you’ll be attacked and threatened for doing what you believe. People also have this idea that refugees and immigrants are stealing their jobs. But they are not. Take my dad as an example. He is a doctor. And he is Muslim. And he is successful. He saves lives every day. He could have saved one of your relatives. People always think—that refugees from Syria, I’ve seen this on Facebook, ‘Oh close the borders, they are ISIS, they are coming to destroy our country.’ As a matter of fact, ISIS took over their country, ISIS killed their loved ones. ISIS destroyed their homes. So how would you feel if it was you? Sitting at home, bombs going off, people dying. There’s children, who are coming to the UK, with no families. So how would you feel, if it was you, in my situation? I have a seven-year-old sister. She came home from school last Monday, crying. When I asked why, she said to me, ‘People are blaming me in school for the Paris attacks’. She said, “I don’t want to go back”.