Faces of Islam

Living in Ethiopia for over two years now has really opened my eyes to both the great opportunities in America but also to some great flaws of our country. One of those flaws in my eyes is the way the American Media portrays the outside world, or in reality doesn't portray the outside world. When was the last time you turned on the news and saw a story pertaining to any country outside of Europe? We have by now all heard of the terror attacks in Belgium but how many knew of the attacks in Turkey that just happened a week before? Or how many knew that in its last election cycle Saudi Arabian women were allowed to vote for the first time? Mind you I'm not giving any credit to Saudi Arabia for women's rights but the only stories we ever hear in America about Islamic countries or Muslims from any part of the world is that of terror attacks or ISIS. We rarely hear of the Muslims who are working to improve their communities or fight for human rights. Too many Americans have a limited image of what it means to be Muslim and that is:

Islam is scary.
Islam is terrorism.
Muslims are terrorists.
I do blame our media for only showcasing the negative side of a religion and exploiting the fear of the unknown. 
I believe that fear often comes from a lack of exposure. If you don't personally know or haven't personally been exposed to something it is common to feel fear towards it.
Living in East Africa for the past two years has granted me the opportunity to be exposed to many ideas and religions that are different than my own. I have seen communities work together disregarding religion all together.
I wanted to share with you some pictures of what a Muslim community I recently traveled to for work looks like. I wanted to give you a different view from what our media in America is constantly showing you.
For me Islam doesn't mean terrorism it means:

Curious children.

Moms learning about nutrition to improve their families livelihood. 

Acceptance of people who are different from you.

Laughter.

Smiles.

Children playing.

Education.

Take the time to educate yourself outside of what the media tells you to think. You never know what you might learn and who you might meet.