A distinction should always be made between the teachings of a religion and the actions of some of its ignorant and misguided followers. Nowhere does Islam enjoin the killing of innocent people, indiscriminate violence, terrorism or suicide bombing. Unfortunately, the stereotyping and double standards in the media help promote the idea that Islam itself is to blame for the actions of some militant Muslims. On the other hand, when an Orthodox Jewish gunman kills worshippers in a mosque, a Roman Catholic IRA guerrilla sets off a bomb, or Serbian Orthodox militiamen rape and kill thousands of innocent Muslim civilians, these acts are not used to malign an entire faith.

How many times have we heard the words “Muslim fundamentalist” and “Islamic terrorism”? Likewise, dictators and politicians in so-called "Islamic countries" sometimes use Islam as a tool to manipulate the masses for their own purposes. When one wants to know what Islam teaches on a certain subject, a qualified Muslim scholar should be asked, not someone who is hostile to Islam. Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam permits fighting in self-defense, to resist severe injustice and in defense of one’s religion.

Islam established strict rules of combat, which include prohibitions against harming civilians, destroying crops, mutilating bodies, desecrating churches and synagogues, and killing prisoners.