Muslims Speak Out For Peaceful Islam

Will County - With fears of ISIS and perceptions of Islam worsening, Will County residents are coming forward in defense of their religion pleading the public to realize that Islam is a peaceful religion. The Muslim community of Will County has almost 10,000 members with a diversity of different ethnicities and backgrounds according to a 2010 report from the Association of Religion Data Archives. That is around 1.46 percent of the Will County population which is above average compared to other counties around the country which has on average 0.9 percent.

Joliet West High School graduate Larry Anderson spoke to theherald-news.com about his conversion to Islam at 19 years of age. “I found out [Islam] was a peaceful religion and stuff. Running close to the religion, I thought that I would like to be a part of the religion to really just change me for the better.”

Anderson claims that his conversion to Islam has changed his life for the better. “I feel like it’s a struggle every day for Muslims because others have a bad perception of Islam,” he said. “Muslims are peaceful people.”