Survey of Islam

"In short, whether Islam, or any religion for that matter, is "peaceful" based on scripture is misguided. Frankly, it doesn't matter. As we know, there are peaceful passages and hateful passages in the holy texts of all the major faiths. There is enough ambiguity in scripture that each of us is free to use--or abuse--the texts as we see fit. Such debates are best left for religious scholars.
Of course, what matters is not whether the Koran, Old Testament, or New Testament is "peaceful," but rather the actions of those who follow the different good books. Whether Islam--or any religion--is peaceful based on underlying scripture is irrelevant. Instead, what is hopefully most relevant are actions.
A touchy subject, Islam -- as judged by actions -- has not proved peaceful lately. Right now, almost all the hot spots on the globe involve militant Muslims on one side. Some of the places are old and familiar like Israel and India. Some of the places are becoming familiar like Chechnya and Bali. And some of the places sport names still largely unfamiliar to us, like Mauritania.
Look at the Sudan, which we don't hear much about. In just the past decade, two million Christians have been literally butchered by militant Islamists proclaiming "convert or die." Or look at the Philippines, where in 2002 an Islamic group beheaded two Jehovah's Witnesses and left their heads in bags with the note, "Those who do not believe in Allah will suffer the same fate."
Peel back the political correctness and take an uncomfortable look around the globe--Algeria, Egypt, Turkey, Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya--the list goes on and in each instance militant Islam is the root cause. As for human rights, suffice to say that there are no human rights abuses in much of the Islamic world because there are no human rights to abuse. In Saudi Arabia there are no churches, no Bibles, no Christian artifacts, no non-Muslim worship of any kind.
In Egypt, Christian Copts have been persecuted to the point of near extinction. Women's rights? Forget about the right to vote--in many Muslim countries women lack the right to drive.
We can address these realities or apologize for them. To be clear, it is not suggested that Islam has a monopoly on genocide, as Bosnia reveals. However, the fact that most conflicts on this globe involve militant Islam is no coincidence either.
Whether terrorism strikes New York, Africa, India, Bali, Pakistani churches or downtown Jerusalem, freedom and democracy everywhere are threatened. Finally, if, as is often suggested, militant Islam is an aberration, then why haven't the moderate Muslims carved out the cancer amongst themselves? Any organization -- whether it is the Girl Scouts or a religion -- has a duty to police itself and guard against extremism. If the majority of Islam's peace loving followers believe the radicals are an aberration, then why do they tolerate, if not support, this murderous minority? The majority's silence is deafening and deadly, as the graves of two million Sudanese Christians reveal."