The worst mass shooting on American soil took place recently. An LGBTAQ+ nightclub in Orlando, Florida, was brutally attacked by a homophobic man with an assault rifle. Yes, he was Muslim.

Despicably, people haven't seen this tragedy so much as a time of mourning, but rather a launching pad to send their political ideologies forward (I'm looking at you, Donald Trump).

His hate filled rhetoric and his rabid following have taken islamophobia to a whole new level. Ever since the Persian Gulf War, when we invaded the Middle East, Islam has taken a front seat in American ideologies. Now, however, it's escalated into something that's much more than worry. This is outright hatred and scapegoating.

Islam in itself is a peaceful religion. Radical sects, such as ISIS, or Daesh, aren't nearly as prevalent or as numerous as some people believe, or would even have others believe. The vast majority of Muslims aren't in support of ISIS philosophies. Pretty much all Muslims are peaceful, loving people that wish to experience life to the fullest.

If you want to judge the entire religion for the actions of a few, then be prepared to judge Christians the same way. The Crusades, the reigns of many monarchs who killed hundreds of thousands of people, the Ku Klux Klan, the Westboro Baptist Church, and many more bastardize Christianity by turning it into something barely recognizable. Not all Christians are racists and supremacists. Not all Muslims are extremists.

It is my firm hope and belief that we can rise above voices by the radical conservatives and find ourselves again as people who support those seeking to practice any religion or lifestyle they choose.