Last Saturday as I lounged idly on my living room couch, I began flipping through the channels… Last Saturday as I lounged idly on my living room couch, I began flipping through the channels looking for something of interest. I finally decided on a popular political debate show. As the screen prompted the topic of the hour, my enthusiasm quickly faded. The topic was related to Islam, specifically educating students on Islam. A woman with blond hair in her early 40s was arguing that students should not be forced to learn about a religion that promoted acts of hate. I let out a deep sigh and changed the channel.

It has been a year since the tragic events of Sept. 11 and a year since the religion of Islam has been thrust into the nations spotlight. Still, the ignorance continues, and the misconceptions exist. As a Muslim and as an American, I would like to address my compilation of the top five most predominant misconceptions about Islam.

Five. The Muslim’