The news: In the wake of recent brutal beheadings by the Islamic State, young Muslims took to Twitter with the hashtag #NotInMyName to criticize the radical militant group. But as a new viral hashtag points out, why should all Muslims have to apologize for the actions of a violent few?
In the past week, thousands of people have taken to #MuslimApologies to show that an entire culture is not at fault for the actions of a small minority and that it is ridiculous for people to have to apologize for a radical group's acts when they had no part in them. While some posts were serious, others used humor to point out the hypocrisy of such a mindset, ridiculing the idea of issuing apologies for something you have nothing to do with.
These moving tweets illustrate what it's like to be at the receiving end of constant fear and suspicion:
Sorry for constantly having to prove that Islam is peaceful and for suffering for sins committed by the so-called Muslims. #MuslimApologies
I'm sorry about every Muslim child was killed by Your army #muslimapologies
I am sorry you are sitting in the comfort of ur home butthurt while mostly Muslim folk fight ISIS. #MuslimApologies
I'm sorry that you feel threatened around us because of the falsified western media your government brainwashes you with #MuslimApologies
Sorry about 9/11, maybe if I wasn't in my elementary school class like every American child I would've been able to stop it #MuslimApologies
Some chose to highlight Muslim achievements:
I'm sorry we invented Algebra. No seriously I really am. I hate math. #MuslimApologies
We'd also like to apologise for the amazing architecture...for instance the Taj Mahal, really sorry. #MuslimApologies pic.twitter.com/WMSXwYcN5Q
I'm sorry for inventing surgery, coffee, universities, algebra, hospitals, toothbrushes, vaccinations, numbers, & the sort #MuslimApologies
While others brought out the snark and kept their tongues firmly in cheek:
Sorry you expected us to be terrorists #MuslimApologies pic.twitter.com/ycbFPfq1mX
As a Muslim I apologies for the World War One & World War Two even it has nothing to do with the Muslims but just in case. #MuslimApologies
Sorry for growing a beard before it was cool/hipster to do it #MuslimApologies
I'm sorry I'm uneducated because apparently Fox News knows more about my religion than I do #MuslimApologies
I'm sorry my halal meat tastes better than anything you've ever tasted. #MuslimApologies
I apologize for that watery stuff that comes out of the ketchup bottle before the ketchup #MuslimApologies
Many female Muslim Twitter users also responded to popular misconceptions regarding hijabs, niqabs and other coverings:
Im so sorry we slay fully covered #MuslimApologies pic.twitter.com/vlJt3Wbyoa
Sorry i look like batman when i when get on the train, sorry you have to move away #MuslimApologies
Sorry that covering my body out of modesty doesn't fit into your social stereotype of women #MuslimApologies
I'm sorry you still believe my hijab is a symbol of oppression, when it is in fact my sanctuary, my freedom, my liberation. #MuslimApologies
And finally, the mic drop:
I'm sorry that you need Muslims to apologize to you in order for you to realize we're all humans. #MuslimApologies
Through anger or humor, what these tweets ultimately show is that there's an entire spectrum of humanity that identifies as Muslim and that forcing members of a group to apologize for the actions of one radical subset is nonsensical. While some of these tweets may look silly, it's because the idea of a whole religion needing to apologize for the actions of a few is silly in and of itself.
