As members of the Muslim community at Penn State, we were troubled by Monday's front-page headline "Islamic suicide bomber kills 19 in Israel." In a society where Islam is already misunderstood, such headlines serve only to foster deeper misconceptions of our religion. The term "Islamic suicide bomber" implies that such actions are condoned by Islam rather than being the deeds of a misguided few. Such inappropriate wording hurts those of us living in the Penn State community and the millions of Muslims that live peaceful lives around the world.

The word "Islam" is derived from the Arabic term "salaam," which means peace. Islam prohibits the use of violence against innocents. We are peace-loving people that sympathize with those who suffer the loss of loved ones in any conflict. However, media headlines associating Islam with violence feed negative stereotypes that often leave lasting impressions on many that have no direct contact with Muslims. Just as the Christian community would feel offended to be constantly associated with the bloodshed in Waco, Texas, the members of Muslim communities are grieved by the media's frequent use of such terms as "Islamic suicide bomber."

Islam is currently the second largest religion in the world. We hope The Daily Collegian will realize its word choices affect how many people form their opinions of others when phrasing headlines in the future.