Nearly 25 percent of the world is Islamic.  It is the second-largest religion in the world, with multiple facets and a variety of styles. So why does the West always seem to tense when someone mentions Muslims?

Maybe the animosity stems as far back as the Crusades. Maybe it arises from early British society and key misunderstandings within the immersion of the Islamic faith. Perhaps yet, the negative stigmas associated with Muslims are on the shoulders of mass media in a post 9/11 world.  

Moreover, the aforementioned are morally and ethically wrong and the cause of the predicament we face today. A predicament wherein the American public objectifies the Muslim culture and members of the Islamic faith face harsh prejudice that is far-fetched and unnecessary.

Two terrorist attacks occurred in Canada recently — Michael Zehaf-Bibeau at a veteran’s memorial, and Martin Rouleau just south of Montreal.

Remember, the buzzword is Muslim.

Media around Canada and the United States based the attacks solely on religious-based, radical Islamists.

 Ignored, however, was the fact that: a) Zehaf-Bibeau had a history of priors and mental illness — once claiming that “(t)he devil (was) after him,” as reported by The Guardian; and b) Rouleau’s ongoing psychological troubles, and his frustration with governmental inactivity.

Notice the key bits of information that went unnoticed and simply did not fit the sensationalism of media.

On Thursday, Zale Thompson, a 32-year-old in Queens and “radical Muslim convert,” carried out a terrorist axe attack on two officers, as reported by BBC News.

If we delved deeper into the subject, we find out that Thompson had zero ties to Muslim extremist and, apart from looking up information on the Internet, never announced any formal relationship with terrorist organizations.

Upon further investigation, we find that the attack is racially based, as confirmed with Thompson’s dad who in a conversation with the New York Post agreed, “(Zale) wanted white people to pay for all that slavery and all that racism.” 

Terrorism is deplorable, but even more egregious is the misclassification and incorrect identification of an estimated 1.6 billion people.

Here’s a fun statistic: Did you know that neo-Nazis, extreme animal right activists, extreme environmentalists, the KKK and extreme anti-tax radicals are among the most acknowledged extremist groups as identified by law enforcement?

The analysis, by the University of Maryland’s Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), claims that “Islamic Jihadist groups” do not even make the top ten list. 

Those that claim the profiling of Arabs and Muslims in a necessity for domestic protection and homeland security could not be more wrong. Further prejudice only brings about heightened tensions of discrimination and fear as out-groups attempt to negate perceived psychological and physical abuse.

Yet profiling remains a staple of counterterrorism, wherein it is a vicious cycle of abhorrence and destitute that precedes no respectable or prosperous future; however, Muslims effectively help prevent terrorist activities.

A study recorded by The Muslim Public Affairs Council in 2007 claims that a recorded 21 instances of Al-Qaeda-related terror activities have been actively sought and broadcast by members of Muslim communities. 

Furthermore, American Muslims are responsible for providing initial tips to law enforcement in one out of every three terror plots since 9/11.

Unfortunately, the misappropriation and shameless name-dropping of radical Islam seems inevitable by politicians and discriminatory, anti-Muslim scare tacticians. The only radical thing that should come out of this is article is a radically new and improved thought process toward Muslims and the Islamic religion.