Last Day at Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute

On our last day of class we visited a mosque.  I have visited a mosque before when I went to Turkey but this was my first time actually staying for the prayer.  It was nice to experience that.  I have learned so much about Islam this past week.  I have a better understanding about the religion.  What I think most people need to remember is to separate MUSLIMS and TERRORIST from each other.  The five Muslims in my class (two from the Philippines, one from Iran, one from Sierra Leone, and one from Indonesia) have shared compelling stories that they have faced being Muslim.  If it is one thing I would like the rest of the world to understand is that Islam is a beautiful religion in itself.  Although we may come from different religious backgrounds, we should be accepting of others beliefs.  We don’t need to believe in their practices, but we can acknowledge and respect them for who they are.  And to clarify, Islam DOES NOT PREACH violence.  These Muslim extremist that we hear about who are violent are going against Islam 100%