Muslims take a stand against the Islamophobia being fueled by terrorist attacks.
After the terrorist attack in Paris which claimed 129 lives and left 352 injured, Muslims living in the country now face a repeat of what happened in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo incident earlier this year.
Muslims Use #MuslimsAreNotTerrorist In Response to Paris Terror Attacks[/tweetthis]
The January 7 shooting saw a 281% rise in Islamophobia, and this time, it may be worse. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, has claimed responsibility for the November 13 attack and although top Muslim leaders have condemned the act of terror, ordinary Muslims know what is coming.
Some of them took to social media to distance themselves from the terrorists, using the hashtag #MuslimsAreNotTerrorist on Twitter. This trended on Friday and Saturday, with hundreds of thousands of tweets using the same hashtag.
This is so true. Angers me how Islam is associated with violence. #MuslimsAreNotTerrorist pic.twitter.com/itZ6YG0kGg
— Humda Bhatti (@imhumda) November 16, 2015
#MuslimsAreNotTerrorist Evil is root of terrorism. In form of human from all over the world.. From every religion.. From every country.
— Dr Sohail Khan (@Sohaiill) November 17, 2015
Why They Always Blame Islam Day By Day.? Perhaps The Media Never Shows The Kindness & How Beautiful Islam Is. #MuslimsAreNotTerrorist #ABC
— Alpha Bravo Charlie (@AnonymousFauji) November 15, 2015
Why They Always Blame Islam Day By Day.? Perhaps The Media Never Shows The Kindness & How Beautiful Islam Is. #MuslimsAreNotTerrorist #ABC
— Alpha Bravo Charlie (@AnonymousFauji) November 15, 2015
“@leeannaaxmi: Open your mind before you open your mouth ❤ #MuslimsAreNotTerrorist pic.twitter.com/9lZq0vLPQm” anna tweetfamous!
— king (@thekingaieda1) November 15, 2015
#MuslimsAreNotTerrorist I am Muslim. I WON'T apologize for something im not responsible for. Terrorism has no religion.
— Moazzam Ali (@moazzamali66) November 15, 2015
I am a Muslim Islam is perfect, but i am not If i make mistake, blame me, but not Religion#MuslimsAreNotTerrorist pic.twitter.com/6VXLpfZXZO
— Gumnam Mujahid™®© (@max_wake) November 15, 2015
Some posted images of Verse 32 in Chapter 5 of the Holy Quran, which reads as follows:
Whoever kills an innocent human being, it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved all mankind.
Refusing to condemn the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, one Muslim in France skirts the topic, maintaining that politicians are responsible for Islamophobia. Malika Chafi, another adherent of the faith, says it isn't a Muslim issue, but rather one of law and order. There are an estimated five million Muslims in France, and how many of them support the actions of the ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), another name for the ISIS, are not clear. The ISIL has vowed more attacks, even as French President Francois Hollande has declared a state of war.
The January 7 attack saw pleas for solidarity coming from all quarters, but this time, there were none. French mosques have been sprayed with graffiti containing hate symbols or messages, and a group of Muslim women who gathered to pay homage to the victims met with derision.
'We are all in the same boat'. French Muslims lost their sisters in Paris Attack https://t.co/6IvUsHx3BZ
— Mina Al-Oraibi (@AlOraibi) November 17, 2015
Hollande's words that those who carried out the attacks were French and his references to 'the enemy within' were not criticized even by the opposition. In fact, his statements were applauded and met with a singing of the French national anthem. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manuel Valls has called for the deportation of all radical imams from the country, and there has been a growing demand to restrict and monitor all those on the 'S-files' – those involved in Friday's incident and in the Charlie Hebdo attack were all listed as potential threats, although this alone cannot be a reason for their arrest. There are some 10,000 persons on the S-files.