Feelings of hatred toward a group of people or nation usually stem from ignorance. The growing Islamophobia in the West is mainly due to the lop-sided or should I say biased reporting of the events in the region. I don’t blame westerners. Generally, they are nice people and open to ideas. The problem is they have been led to believe that terrorist organizations like the so-called Islamic State (IS) and its likes represent Muslims or Islam. They see the beheadings carried out by the IS but don’t get to see the majority of Muslims condemning such actions. In such a situation, their fears are understandable. It is very important for Muslims living in the West to hold dialogue with the non-Muslims so as to clear misconceptions about Islam and Muslims.

We cannot just slam the West for anti-Muslim or anti-Islam sentiments. We should make efforts to reach out to them and show them that our religion values a human life and does not sanction killing of innocent people. We should not expect overnight changes. There is a great need for concerted efforts on this front. Instead of hating the West, we should try to focus on the commonalities.

Zahoor Sheikh

Dammam