7X, you make some great points. Many people like to say that those who recognize the violence in Islam don't have any real knowledge of Islam. The opposite is true. People who believe that Islam is fundamentally no different from all other religions are the ones who have no knowledge of Islam.
First, we have to understand that there are different interpretations of Islam and they do have varying degrees of fervor. I know some Muslim women who do not cover their heads - I even knew one who dated a Jewish guy from Israel and I have socialized with ones that drink alcohol and go to night clubs, etc. So as with most things, your mileage may vary.
The fact that so many so called moderates are silent with regard to the violence is a real issue that deserves attention. And attitudes tend to run the gamut from totally non-religious to fully radical and all points in between. How each strata views freedom and terror is quite interesting. Experts agree that a little over 10% of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims are full radicals. According to a survey of Muslims living in America, 50% believe Sharia law should replace the US Constitution. In my opinion, that means 50% have no business being here.
When you ask even moderate Muslims if they condone terrorism, most say they do not. Their next sentence invariably begins "but you have to understand." And then they start to make excuses for the terrorists. In my two decades of reading about radical Islam and terror I have come to learn that few Arabs or Muslims are at all disturbed by the news of terrorist attacks, especially when they are against Jews.
About 20 miles from my home is the most dense Muslim population outside of the middle East - Dearborn, MI. The Muslims were dancing in the streets when 911 occurred. They take to the streets to protest every time action is taken against Muslims, but when terrorist attacks occur, their silence is deafening.
About Islam specifically:
Islam is in fact a fully fundamentalist religion. This means that devout Muslims look to their faith to govern every aspect of life and believe it ought to govern every aspect of everyone else's life as well. Anyone who doesn't know this fact doesn't know the first thing about Islam.
Violence in Islam is unlike any other faith. While there are verses in the Qur'an that promote peace with others, these verses are almost always followed by ones that preach violence. See, when studying the Qur'an one always follows what Muhammad said last. The Qur'an is organized from the shortest passage to the longest, not in chronological order. If you read it in chronological order and go by what Muhammad said last, you find that the Qur'an ends with a declaration of war against the infidel.
Now, where this is so different from every other faith is that while others have histories of violence, Islam is the only one that carries this violence into the future. For instance, In Exodus God ordered the Israelites to destroy all of Canaan. But this has no bearing on any people living today. There is no commandment in the Bible to perpetrate future violence against people living today. Islam is unique in this way.
It is also important to know that the ultimate goal of a devout Muslim is to live as Muhammad lived because he was believed to be the perfect Muslim who was without sin. Muhammad, was a warlord and he was particularly fond of deception as a means of warfare. So, it is encouraged in Islam to lie to the infidel, especially when lying is seen to further the cause of Islam. In fact, Muslims are even permitted to violate the rules of Islam as long as the intent is to deceive the infidel in the course of furthering Islam.
I think this is why so many are fooled into believing lies about what Islam really is. They meet Muslims and they listen to them quote passages from the Qur'an that are suggestive of a peaceful religion when such phrases are in fact cherry picked out of context for the purpose of deception. I myself have heard many Muslims repeat the quote that no harm shall ever be done to the innocent. They always fail to tell you two things; that the next line reads "but cut the hand and foot from opposite sides of those who commit mischief in the land." And, that according to Islam, only Muslims can be innocent to begin with.
My personal definition of religion involves a system of beliefs designed to do good for mankind. Judaism seeks to do good by establishing rule of law and justice, Christianity seeks to do good by promoting love and kindness. The only thing I know of that Islam promotes is Draconian sexual oppression. I fail to see how this is useful to mankind.
If you want to know more, check out Robert Spenser at jihadwatch.org. And if you haven't found my other thread, check out Bridgette Gabriel videos on youtube.
