Religion in general doesn't breed tolerance (not counting Buddhism, as its aligned more with general spirituality). It assumes that they possess information vital to the survival of the human race, and that they have a limited time in which to tell everyone.
The general view of the Middle East as a somewhat backwards part of the world only sheds light on our assumptions about another culture. If you disregard either cultures glaring problems--overconsumption in the West versus adherence to dogma in the East, to name two--there wouldn't be all that much that separates them. Both sides believe they are superior, right, and have the right to enforce their views by most any means.
