"Trust me, I saw it on TV !!!"

It has become more and more easier for us to believe something without actually experiencing or witnessing it ourselves. This is why many of us think that we 'know it all' when it comes to world politics and situations on the other side of the globe. We've all heard comments like, 'I read it in the paper', 'it was on the news' and 'didn't you see that programme on TV??!!'.

Recently, I've come across several blogs which contain posts regarding 'Islamic Extremism'. The kind of comments that individuals are making about Islam are extremely negative and reflect a lack of knowledge, yet most writers convey an attitude of 'I know it all'. I often ask such people, who are so worried about Islam being hijacked by terrorists, when they last came across an extremist, other than on CNN or some other media source. Why don't we realise that we see everything through the eyes of the media? Therefore, it is inevitable that our perceptions will be incomplete and limited by perspective.

Just think about it, all of a sudden Britain began to worry about the welfare of women who wear the face-veil, it became a national issue. How many women do we know that wear the face-veil? Is it really more important than so many other issues that affect the majority of society? It is not a problem if 70% of the population is negatively affected by the abuse of alcohol, but if a few women decide that they want to cover up, then the whole nation must help them out. The media is playing games with us, next thing we know we'll all be worried about David Beckham finding a club, even if it means we forget about Iraq for a while.

As a muslim, I can say that I've been to many different mosques, attended various Islamic talks by several organisations, etc. However, I am yet to meet a terrorist or even hear comments by an Islamic leader which are extreme in nature. But you know what, I 'm sure that there are thousands of extremists out there, trust me I seen it all on TV!