Muslim terrorist, Arab jihadist, Islamic militia. In recent years, these words have almost become synonymous with each other in the daily news. With the onslaught of news coverage of the Middle East, all the news about Islam and Muslims seems to be bad.

All Americans see on their televisions are visions of turban-clad men screaming “Allahu Akbar” and women covered in black veils from head to toe.

But what is this religion and who are these people? Does this religion really condone these awful things we see?

To answer these questions, we must first start with the simplest way of defining things: definitions.

Islam means “to submit to the will of God” in Arabic, with its counterpart Muslim meaning “one who submits to the will of God.” Therefore, Islam is the religion and Muslims are its followers.

Now that we have that cleared up, let’s move on to a definition that is a little more controversial: jihad. The word, as used in the Quran, refers to a struggle or the act of striving toward the will of Allah (God), not exactly the modern “holy war” definition. In this way, jihad includes the fight against one’s self and the fight against Satan.

So here comes the disclaimer.

Islam in no way calls for terrorism, the killing of innocent people or, as I have heard before, the annihilation of infidels. Most of the terrorist groups we see on the news are formed through hardship, ongoing war and ignorance of the religion. Muslims seek only to have peace and harmony through a constant submission to Allah. This includes five key principles or pillars: a monotheistic belief in God which includes a declaration of faith or shahadah; prayer, which is done five times a day at set times; charity; fasting in the holy month of Ramadan; and a hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, if funds and health allow it, once in a Muslim’s lifetime.

Although these principles define a Muslim’s life, most of the questions I am asked about Islam never contain these points. Most of the inquisitors ask about topics anywhere from race to “that scarf thingy.” So in the rest of this article, I will try to answer some of the more common questions posed to me as a Muslim.

First of all, let’s talk about the scarf. Whether it is seen as holy or infamous, these are the facts: The headscarf, or hijab, is worn by Muslim women who are past the age of puberty in the presence of marriageable men.

This is done as a form of modesty to protect a woman’s beauty from unclean thoughts. The most widely accepted form of hijab is the covering of the body from the ankles to wrist, with the scarf used to cover all of the head except for the face. Covering any more of the face is usually viewed as a personal preference. (However, these views change from place to place.)

The scarf should always be worn during prayer and out of respect for entering a mosque but not at home or around other women. So please, stop asking women with scarves on their heads if they have to “wear that in the shower.”

(Although the scarf is a staple in most Muslim women’s closets, some reject it as a relic of the past and many wait to put the scarf on until they have reached a certain time in their life, a decision which takes a lot of thought and prayer.)

Another common question I receive, especially in the Bible belt, is, “So you don’t believe Jesus is the son of God?” The answer is, well, no.

In Islam, Jesus is viewed as a great prophet much like Moses, Abraham, and Mohammed, all of whom are held so highly in Islam that Muslims are advised to say, “Peace be upon them,” after their names. It is Islamic belief that every set of peoples was sent a prophet that relayed God’s message to them.

We believe that Moses was sent the Torah and Jesus the Gospel but unfortunately, over the years, man corrupted these messages, this corruption including the making of Jesus’ divinity. Mohammad, a merchant living in Mecca during the Middle Ages, was revealed God’s message in the form of the Quran. Mohammad was also given the revelation that he would be the last prophet to all of God’s creation and the promise that the Quran would not be corrupted.

I truly hope that the previous has enlightened you view of the Muslim population. For more questions visit the UA Muslim Student Association on Facebook.

Jessica King is a freshman majoring in English. This is the final column in a series of columns about religion.