The Facts: According to a new study conducted by Charles  Kurzman , the number of Muslim-Americans living in the United States far outweighs the number of those who are committing acts of terrorism.

Our Opinion: The 9/11 attacks happened 10 years ago. Today, we should work to break down the stereotypes of Muslim-Americans and other Middle Eastern people in our own thoughts and learn to appreciate what their culture can offer.

Even though the terrorist attacks of 9/11 are 10 years behind us, stereotypes surrounding Muslims and other Middle Eastern peoples persist. “On 9/11, the terrorists not only hijacked those planes, but our religion,” Tanzeel , a representative of Raleigh’s Islamic Center, said.

Students should work to break down these stereotypes not only in their actions, but in their mindset as well.

There are at lot of negative stereotypes surrounding the Muslim population. This creates the potential for possibly laying the blame on their whole population for something they didn’t do. These pre-conceived notions, created by a culture of fear, have created these false stereotypes that need to be reconsidered.

Charles Kurzman , a UNC-Chapel Hill sociology professor, has recently published a study on Muslim-American terrorism through the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security. In his eight-page study, Kurzman analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Center on Law and Security at New York University. He also included data found in media sources such as CNN.

Kurzman found that the amount of Muslim-Americans who engage in terrorist activity compared to the amount living in the United States was small. The number of Muslim-Americans charged with supporting terrorism was eight in 2011. This is the lowest number since the 2011 terrorist attacks.

This fact alone should help dispel the stereotypes that remain in the minds of students. By breaking down the stereotypes in your mind, you can begin to embrace the rich Muslim-American culture that persists in the U.S. and on our own campus.

Most Muslim-Americans tend to be strongly against using violence to achieve their goals.

“Muslim-American organizations, and the vast majority of individuals that we interviewed, firmly reject the radical extremist ideology that justifies the use of violence to achieve political ends,” David Schanzer , the director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, said, according to CNN.

Muslim-Americans should never be stereotyped to represent the views of the extremist Muslim population. While the 9/11 attacks have engrained a fear of Middle Eastern and Muslim culture and people in the minds of many Americans, there is never an excuse for you to have a mindset of avoidance, hate, and anger.