One local Muslim, Mohamed Salih, is clear in his feelings toward the Muslim man who allegedly went on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood last week. He deserves to be at the “bottom of the biggest hell,” Salih said.
There is a misconception among many non-Muslims that Islam, the religion that Muslims follow, encourages hate and violence. Really, it teaches the opposite, he said.
"(Violence) has no place in this religion,” he said. “There is no god out there that would accept killing innocent people.”
And while non-Muslims can misunderstand Islam, so too can Muslims themselves.
Any person who commits an act of violence in name of Islam gravely misunderstands the religion, Salih said. Terrorists have misunderstood the Islamic duty of jihad, which means struggle.
The “greater jihad” is within one’s self, Salih said, against egos and evil within. The “lesser jihad” means actions to defend one’s self and family.
Even nations can blur the line between religion and politics, Arshi Nisley, another local Muslim, added.
In some Islamic countries, women are not allowed to own property, divorce or have the same rights as men. But the religion allows women equal treatment and rights.
“I don’t think that’s religion at all,” Nisley said. “I think that’s politics.”
People who have cited passages from the Quran, the religious text of Islam, that seem to encourage violence have taken them out of context, she added.
Even some Bible passages can seem to incite violence when taken out of context.
Both Salih and Nisley said they haven’t encountered hostility from the local community. In fact, they’ve felt welcomed. Salih has worked hard to try to educate people about Islam. Violent acts by Muslims set his efforts back, he said.
The religion is already misunderstood by many, and every time a Muslim kills in the name of Islam, it undoes the work that many have done to dispel myths and misinformation. The Fort Hood shooter hurt Muslims twice, Salih said: their country and their religion.
“He is lucky he doesn’t have to face Muslims for justice,” Salih said.