Last month's heinous terror attacks in Paris have given rise to Islamophobia, exemplified by anti-Muslim sentiments, closure of mosques, and other similar manifestations in some countries.

United States presidential hopeful Donald Trump's call to ban the entry of Muslims is the latest salvo ("Outrage as Trump seeks ban on Muslims entering US"; Dec 9).

This is a dangerous route to take, as it assumes that Islam and Muslims are bad, risking their alienation.

All religions preach good values, such as tolerance, peace, sanctity, love, understanding and charity.

Unfortunately, every religion has misguided and wilful individuals who misinterpret the tenets of the religion to serve their own agendas. In doing so, they tarnish the image of the religion.

I am a Christian. If Christians live the life and ways of Jesus Christ, then we should be one united group, sharing the same beliefs and values.

Unfortunately, we are not, as there are a few thousand different Christian denominations globally, some formed by groups which misinterpret the Bible and prey on gullible believers to suit their respective agendas.

So, if there are black sheep in a religion, we should find effective ways to deal with them, rather than blame and condemn the religion.

Hence, in order to eradicate the terror problem, besides the political will and resolve of all nations, support from Muslims who do not share the terrorist ideology is imperative.

Lawrence Loh Kiah Muan