There is a group on facebook that really annoys me. It is called, “Muslim Terrorists, an oxymoron.” Is it a group which promotes the idea that you cannot be a terrorist and Muslim together. Before I explain why I find this annoying, lets get one thing clear. I do not promote or encourage any kind of terrorism. I do not support it, and never will.
My only problem with this group is that they are basically labeling people to be Muslims or not. Where do they get the authority to decide if a person belongs to a certain religion or not. Its not just this group where I have seen this labeling take place.
The now suspended constitution of Pakistan labels a sect of Islam as nonmuslims. That makes perfect sense because as all Muslims know on the day of judgment, the Pakistani constitution will judge if you were a Muslim and not God.
This kind of blatant attempt to ostracize people does not only occur in Islam. Most Christians do not consider Mormons or Catholics as Christians.
Now back to that facebook group. If a person blows himself up in the name of Islam, no one has the right to call him a nonmuslim. Like I said you are not God. You can judge him to be evil, and condemn their action. You can vocalize that a very small part of Muslim world believes in that kind of fundamentalism. You can deem them to be either a good or bad person. But you have no right to change their identity, by casting them off as unbelievers of a faith.
This kind of action just divides people and feeds into prejudices. There should be no ‘us and them’ mentality. This kind thought leads to hate and hate leads to far worse things.
The next time someone says they share your religion but they practice it differently from you, think of them as your brother in faith. Learn from them what things you do have in common. And above all tolerate and accept their beliefs. It is the best action one can take to live peacefully.
