Should people be afraid of Islam?

Answer 1

Every religion is based on great human values. So is the case with Islam. Therefore, we need not to afraid of Islam.

So why single Islam out? That can be offensive to people, so if you know there is no reason to be afraid of other religions, don't single Islam out.

You can find bad people who you think of when you think of Islam in any religion. The bad people in Islam, by the laws of Islam, are not true Muslims.

Answer 2

No, not at all. While it is true that Islam has some extremists and the news focuses on the brutal actions of people like Islamic State or the Taliban or Boko Haram, they do not represent all Muslims. Every religion has extremists, and their violent activities often cause the average person to mistakenly fear the entire religion. But American Muslims have lived here peacefully since the 1870s: one of the first mosques was in Des Moines, Iowa circa 1885. American Muslims are well-integrated into most communities, and their children have become doctors, scientists, businesspeople, educators, etc. Like every other religious group, some are religious, and others are not. Some dress traditionally (such as women covering their head with a hijab or men wearing a beard), while others choose not to. It is also true that outside the United States, Islam is observed in many different ways, depending on where you go. Some Muslim countries like Iran or Saudi Arabia are quite religious, and their governments demand a level of piety that most American Muslims would find oppressive.

That said, the American Muslim community is small, and most Americans have never met any Muslims, whereas the news is filled with scary stories about the extremist groups overseas who behead people, blow up non-Muslim houses of worship or kidnap schoolgirls. And some politicians have shamefully exploited the fear many Americans have, making exaggerated and inaccurate remarks about what Muslims supposedly believe. I am not a Muslim, but I teach comparative religion and I have had many Muslim students over the years. I have found repeatedly that Muslims are just like people in most religions-- they love their culture and tradition, but the extremists are not the people they want to emulate. The vast majority of American Muslims simply want freedom of worship and freedom to follow their culture, within the context of a pluralistic society. And they are well aware that according to the Constitution, there cannot be one religion (whether theirs or any other) that is the "established" faith.