On Friday, Bill Maher made some comments on his show linking Islam as the underlying cause of terrorism. CNN took the clip and ran with it. They invited UC Riverside professor of religions and author, Reza Aslan to comment on the issue. However, the response they received surprised them. Aslan very quickly pointed out both Maher and the anchors flawed thinking. In a short 7 minutes or so, Aslan shuts down the prejudiced views of Islam.

Growing up in the United States, we are very removed from Islam. It is not the prominent religion in our country. It is the most hated. It is the most feared. And I believe it is the most misunderstood. It is common to hear someone say, "Muslims are terrorists." Yet, no one is being called a bigot, or a racist. Do people realize that over a billion people practice Islam? If all of them were terrorists do not you think our world would be a much more violent place?

Yes, ISIS is acting in the name of Islam. If you have done even the slightest reading on Islam it is pretty easy to understand that ISIS has manipulated the religion of Islam to justify their actions. This use of religion to justify violent actions is not new.

The Christians have done just that for centuries. Anyone remember the Spanish Inquisition, the Salem witch trials, the crusades, the religious justifications for slavery? Is viewed as Christians violent? No. So why is there the assumption that all Muslims are violent or promote violence? Furthermore, not all Muslims hate gays. Not all Muslims oppress women. Again, the Bible directly disapproves of homosexuality and repeatedly positions the woman's role as one lesser to the mans. Are all Christians viewed as homophobic? Is Christianity viewed as oppressive to women?

The goal of terrorism is to create fear. I think I speak for everyone when I say we would never let terrorism win. So then why continue to create unnecessary fear by labeling over a billion people terrorists? Stop allowing the fear win. Challenge yourself to see a new perspective even if it may not be the popular view.

It is vital that we continue to strive to see the world from other perspectives. If we allow our selves to view the world through tainted lenses, then we are not seeing the entire picture. A certain race, religion, gender and age is not the root cause for terrorism. Individuals are. Violent, weak minded individuals hiding behind the guise of a religion are the cause. I believe ISIS is the cause and ISIS is to blame.