The Fresno State Ethics Center introduced a diverse panel to discuss ISIS and Islam in American politics on Tuesday in McLane Hall.

The hall was packed with students and faculty before the discussion began. ­

“I’m here to see the point of views in Fresno about Islam and learn more about our Islamic friends, too,” said Fresno State sociology major Santa Hernandez.

The panel discussion identified the difference between Islam and radical Islamic organizations like ISIS. ­Speakers stated their mission is to educate the public on the Muslim community and the peaceful nature of the majority of Muslims.

“I think it is unfortunate that there are people in the public sphere who are fermenting hate for political gain,” said Rabbi Rick Winer of Temple Beth Israel in Fresno.

The panel featured Iman Seyed Ali Ghazvini of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno, Sumaya, Attia an online journalist for Satifs.com; Dr. Vincent Biondo, professor of religious studies at Fresno State; Fresno County Supervisor Andreas Borgeas and Rabbi Rick Winer.

“For every ISIS member there are 20,000 Muslims, which calculates to .00005 percent of the Muslim population,” Biondo said.

With the constant bombardment of media coverage on terrorism and ISIS, one might be surprised to learn that the Muslim extremist population is so low. ­The discussion panel is an attempt to clear the air of such misrepresentations.

“I want to hear what the issues are and what’s happening on the news, to see if they­correlate or if there is something different in what they say,” said Richard Silveira,­who heard about the event by his brother-in-law.

The discussion provided an educational understanding of Islam versus extremists.

“ISIS is not only a national threat, but a threat to the global community,” said Imam­Ghazvini of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno.