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Dave the Wonder Boy said:
Many Muslims throughout the world are taught from early childhood to memorize the entire Quran. A very strict interpretation of Islamic law, that rationalizes murder of unbelievers, suicide bombings, brutalization of women, "honor-killing" of female family members perceived by them to have dishonored their family name, clitoral amputation (female circumcision) and on and on. Violence based on deeply entrenched religious teaching.



From what I understand, this isn't entirely true. The interpretation and cultural submersion of the Qu'ran varies from region to region(Islam is, afterall, the second largest and fastest growing religion in the world).

Out of curiousity, I went to the library a few weeks ago and found A Border Passage: From Cairo to America, by Leila Ahmed. It describes what it was like for her to grow up as a Muslim in Egypt(and later in America), and it paints quite a vivid picture of the social and political changes Islam has undergone in the last 30-40 years.

What I sympathized with most about this book was that, like Leila, I too am searching for my own identity, and I imagine that I will not conclude this search until the day I die. We, as people, constantly find ourselves searching for what makes us human, desperately hoping to define our existence. "Who am I?" can be both the simplest and most deeply complex and profound question a person can ask themselves. I find that, in itself, to be fascinating.

I'm getting offtrack now, but the point I'm trying to make is, no one book can(or, at least, no one book should) define who we are or what we believe, as literature is an interpretative(and thus relative) medium. Leila Ahmed is just one of millions of people who grew up with Islam as a positive and peaceful influence on their lives. Unfortunately for her and for others like her, peace isn't newsworthy. Peace doesn't sell papers. Peace doesn't get high TV ratings. And for that reason, Islam is often portrayed as violent and hateful.

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Osama Bin Ladin and his followers aren't in any way religiously similar to Hitler.
Islam isn't a manipulative political tool for Al Qaida, they passionately believe they are acting based on the Quran, and are eagerly willing to kill or suicide-bomb in the name of those Quran verses.



Well, firstly, Hitler was just one of several I listed, but for sake of argument, we can focus on him.

I don't think that just because they(Bin Laden and followers) passionately believe they're doing what's right doesn't mean it still isn't a political tool. I imagine Hitler probably thought what he was doing was right(even if he didn't follow his own preachings to quite the extent they were often taken), otherwise, he wouldn't have committed the atrocities he did.

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I challenge you to find a similar Bible-scripture-based statement by Hitler.



As I said before, the quoting of scripture means very little. It's simply the slant of the religious influence(influence often provided by scripture, regardless of whether or not the individual quotes it regularly) on that person and used by that person. If you look at many of Hitler's speeches it becomes apparent that he was a deeply religious man and believed quite adamantly that his faith was what necessitated the annihilation of all other races and creeds.

"My feelings as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded only by a few followers, recognized these Jews for what they were and summoned men to fight against them and who, God's truth! was greatest not as a sufferer but as a fighter. In boundless love as a Christian and as a man I read through the passage which tells us how the Lord at last rose in His might and seized the scourge to drive out of the Temple the brood of vipers and adders. How terrific was His fight for the world against the Jewish poison. To-day, after two thousand years, with deepest emotion I recognize more profoundly than ever before in the fact that it was for this that He had to shed His blood upon the Cross. As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice....
And if there is anything which could demonstrate that we are acting rightly it is the distress that daily grows. For as a Christian I have also a duty to my own people....
When I go out in the morning and see these men standing in their queues and look into their pinched faces, then I believe I would be no Christian, but a very devil if I felt no pity for them, if I did not, as did our Lord two thousand years ago, turn against those by whom to-day this poor people is plundered and exploited."

-Adolf Hitler, April 12th 1922

"The Government, being resolved to undertake the political and moral purification of our public life, are creating and securing the conditions necessary for a really profound revival of religious life....
The National Government regard the two Christian Confessions as the weightiest factors for the maintenance of our nationality. They will respect the agreements concluded between them and the federal States. Their rights are not to be infringed....
It will be the Government's care to maintain honest co-operation between Church and State; the struggle against materialistic views and for a real national community is just as much in the interest of the German nation as in that of the welfare of our Christian faith.
The Government of the Reich, who regard Christianity as the unshakable foundation of the morals and moral code of the nation, attach the greatest value to friendly relations with the Holy See and are endeavouring to develop them."

-Adolf Hitler, March 23rd 1933

There are many, many more here.

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Again, a Washington Post article said that between 30 to 50% of every Muslim nation is boycotting U.S. goods



Even if that is true, how does that show Islam is a violent religion? Boycotting is hardly a violent act.

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and as many have Osama Bin Ladin screen savers, and other posters and calanders glamorizing the al Qaida destruction of 9-11.



.....how exactly do they know this?

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Again, as said earlier, when violence of the IRA or an abortion clinic occurs, Christians worldwide groan with embarrassment. Whereas violence in the name of Allah (9-11, suicide bombings) sends Muslims in the streets cheering with jubilant approval.



I have to respectfully disagree here. Abortion clinic violence is fairly common here(it's not unusual to hear a report every month or so, sometimes every few weeks), but that's neither here nor there. I don't think either party looks on the violent acts done in their respective religion's name as, in any way, justified.

MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.