The hashtag #ISISarenotIslam has gone viral, with Twitter and Facebook users sharing their own thoughts and pictures about the vicious beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya at the hands of the Islamic State militants, and also hearkening back to the brutal killing of scores of innocents in Syria and Iraq since 2014. The hashtag sparked a conversation among social media users, who condemned the terrorist acts of the extremist group, confirming that such criminal attitudes do not belong to Islam or Muslims. Most of the users' comments asserted that the basic reason IS had been established, was to distort the image of Islam. They strongly criticized the IS leader's declaration that the "Prophet Muhammad was sent with a sword, to bring mercy to all the worlds." They said that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent with the Qura'an, to bring mercy to all people. The hashtag's aim is to shed light on true Islam, which calls for tolerance and love among people. It argues that some Islamophobes use IS' terrorist acts as an excuse to attack Islam and Muslims who have nothing to do with such acts.
