On Friday, March 31st, the Pakistani Taliban planted a bomb near a mosque in a northwestern city in Pakistan, Parachinar. The city is located in an area with a large Shia population. Twenty two people were killed and seventy people were wounded and needed to be hospitalized. The bomb was in a remote area, near the women’s entrance of a Shia mosque in the central bazaar. Before the bomb went off, gunfire was heard, so it is assumed that it was a suicide attempt. Now after this stunt, people in Afghanistan or anywhere in the surrounding area are afraid of terrorism targeting sectarian religion. Many people have been killed this past year due to hate for certain religions or ethnic groups in their country.

As we learn more about religion and what is composed of them, I’ beginning to realize how intense religion is for people. It’s a belief system, but it’s also something that can cause havoc and horror in some people’s lives. Because sectarian views are so specific and demanding, people are definitely not going to agree with them. It’s unfortunate though that these people who share these beliefs get punished for what they believe is correct.

Islam is a religion that is practiced in countries that are predominantly Muslim, but is slowly but surely becoming the fastest growing religion in the world. It is predicted that it will surpass Christianity by 2050 according to a recent Pew Research Center Study. From now till 2050, the Muslim population will have grown across the world by 73%, followed by Christians who will grow by 35% during the same time period. Women that are muslim tend to have more children than others, so more are born and raised into this religion. The Muslim population will only continue to grow larger and soon outgrow everyone else of different ethnicity/religion.

It is interesting to see what the world will come to think of Islam and people of Muslim background as their population begins to increase and Trump holds power in office. Trump planned on banning people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the US for 90 days and all refugees for 120 days. If this ban is passed, people from these countries will resent America and will have negative feeling towards us. And as their population begins to grow,  I don’t think that is a good thing for America.

This past Sunday, the 59th Grammys aired live and many artists came together to celebrate the past year’s best music. Many artists performed as well accept awards. Newer rap artist, Chance the Rapper, won 3 Grammys and was overjoyed. When receiving his first award he exclaimed, “Glory be to God, I claim the victory in the name of the lord, let’s go!”. He then later performed Christian song “How Great” and “All we Got” with a Christian gospel chorus behind him. A Tribe Called Quest, composed of two Muslim men, put religion and politics into their performance of “We the People”. Rapper, Busta Rhymes, also joined on stage and thanked President Trump for his, “unsuccessful attempt at the Muslim ban”. A woman in a hijab then knocked down a wall constructed onstage. The most talked about performance of the night was performed by Beyoncé. She had special effects that made it look like she had many arms, mimicking Kali, a Hindu goddess who has been worshipped as the Divine Mother and Mother of the Universe. She wore a golden crown with roses and a veil that portrayed icons of the Virgin Mary, including depictions of the Virgin of Guadalupe, in Catholicism. These artists were very public with their display of religion and were fearless about it and I think this country needs more of that.