It is always indeed painful to watch every single time when Islam did appear in the spotlight it's always not in good impression. It hurts. Very. I can't describe it as detailed or as clear as my friend, it's painful especially when you can't do much about it, when you feel helpless.
Islam. The word is derived from Arabic, salima, which word is built from Aslama, that means safe, surrender, obedient, and peace. It's not taken from its founder's name, unlike other religions. In a way, to explain, to emphasize, that this is not a religion that is founded by a human, not a religion made by Prophet Muhammed SAW. Islam is like and also unlike all the religions before Islam. The same but also different religion with the religion brought by Abraham, though it was the root.
Ever since Islam's presence made known in the world, mainly in Middle East, Islam is spread peacefully not by force, it is always for the last resort. It could be seen clearly by those who try to learn Islam history. The truest example could be seen during Muhammed's reign. Only ignorance can make people failed to see this, when they choose only to believe only what they hear, what they see, what they read, while they CHOOSE what to hear, to see, to read, to believe. We see what we want to see. We hear what we want to hear. We believe what we want to believe. Generalization is always the hardest enemy to fight, just looking to a part than the whole. It's always easy to hide behind our own ignorance.
There are always dark side of history, there are times when Muslims made mistakes, simply because they are human, as much as all of us is. Imperfect. Bound to do mistakes. Who doesn't? But it doesn't mean it's right to blame it on the religion. As Illy has pointed kindly in her post, each people has different interpretations, there are always the lenient, moderate, and hard or fanatics. It's inevitable in any religion, in any belief, in everything.
It's no wonder, after we're being given the reality of what happened because of religion, we can't help to ask? Why God created religions if it only becomes a reason to fight one another, to hate one another, to kill one another? Why is always religion to be blamed? Why not the people, who either used it purposefully or inadvertently? Is there any religion that suggests war instead of peace? I believe the answer is none.
If we ask the question then it's the same with asking why there are races? Why are there countries? Why are there groups?
Why are there differences?
Simple, yet difficult. The only example I can give is rainbow. Rainbow that is formed from different colors, from one single color. You may draw your own conclusion. Difference is... the way we look at it. Sadly, most of us take difference hard, difficultly, how we treat people differently just because they're different.. the geeks, the famous, the beautiful, the ugly, the list goes on...
It's never easy. Let's just start from ourselves, from our family, from our friends, from our enviroment. A single step for every journey. All great things start from small things. I'm truly grateful to find people who are able to look further and deeper of things than simply accept it for what it seems.
Look underneath the underneath. Don't judge book by its cover.
Let's start to care. Let's start to be objective. Let's start to fill in others' shoes. Shall we? Together. Side by side. Hand in hand.