With the 2016 election coming up, there has been a fuel to the fire of focusing on the religion of those who have caused harm and induced panic as a whole, rather than narrowing in on the individual themselves who commit hate crimes, terrorist attacks, induce panic, etc. The issue here is that the judgement of the individual should be exactly that -- on the individual and not based on his or her religion.

There are people in this world that thrive off of the expression of fear and hate from others, and use those fears to bring about prejudice.

I believe that no matter what religion someone is, the underlying meaning is the same all around. Just because someone has a different religion doesn't mean that he/she is lesser than anyone else. The current target on religion just leads to the spread of more hatred across the world, fights, war, death... the list goes on and on.

There's no logical reason for generating hate and violence towards another being.

Like I stated above, when a crime happens, the focus should be on the individual. Religion is not to blame in acts of violence. Religion serves as a guiding point in the lives of many, but religion is not the person.

What was the individual's motive? Were there any signs? Has something happened in his/her life that had a forceful and negative impact? How were they raised? What conflicts were he/she going through at the time?

Let me address something real quick--I'm not saying that religion isn't a powerful factor in who an individual is and how they act, because it is. Religion is a huge factor in how a lot of people are raised. I myself am subject to that.

The thing is that my religion shaped me. My religion provided me with morals and an overall lesson of generating kindness and peace within myself and others. It's okay for others to have different religions because religion isn't the culprit, religion is a guiding ideology.

I know that what I am addressing is an extremely touchy subject and there are others out there who do not share the same beliefs as I do and I respect that wholeheartedly. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and the freedom to express those thoughts.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what religion, ethnicity, or even gender someone is. What matters is who the individual is and how they treat others.

For some time now there has been a fear generated towards religions such as Muslim. People reject those who are Muslim and broadcast a film of hatred over the universal concept of religion. Donald Trump has done a good job of stretching that film of negativity from his cruel and inhumane views that he projects to the nation through his campaign.

In reference to the picture used as the article thumbnail -- “The fact is that the enemy right now is within the Muslim community. A small percentage, but it’s there.” This quote fits perfectly with my point and I’ll explain why…

Reading this quote and understanding the context in which it is said is important. With consideration of the stigma that plays on fear, I could see how people would resonate with Trump's point. He’s fueled off fear and hatred and lets irrationality take hold. Trump, along with many others, are searching for an excuse to fuel their personal hatred.

As I'm typing this I can't help but think that what I am saying is common sense. A global understanding and appreciation of all religions seems to be a general consensus no matter if someone is Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc. Even so, I know that there are going to be some people who think opposite from what I do. I’m not trying to take away the right of having an opinion, but rather I am trying to help people open their hearts and minds and look at the bigger picture.

To sum up the points I'm trying to get across--different religions are okay. Religion is a driving force in a lot of people's lives, but a religion cannot be defined based upon a few people's actions. Religion is an abstract concept and the person committing the crime is concrete. Having personal opinions and free speech is something everyone should have, but an open mind should be included as well.