I read this the other day and thought that it pretty much summed up my feelings and I'm betting you can agree with most of it. Tell me what you think:
"Many American Muslims are peaceful and define Jihad primarily as an internal struggle to improve. Some talk more of military jihad and say it’s allowable to regain lands that once were Islamic. Muslim terrorists peel away all the layers and go down deep enough to blast away small children who could eventually become soldiers occupying land that properly belongs to Islam.
Should all Muslims be blamed for such brutality? Clearly not. But Islam should take responsibility for what is all too frequent in Islamic history and the culture that grows out of the Koran. Nor should Christians dodge past outrages by Christians and those who called themselves Christians. And yet, the bloody entry of the Crusaders into Jerusalem or the pro slavery rhetoric of some antebellum fire-eaters is only part of the story. We need to compare the normal practice of Christianity and Islam.
Christianity generally grew by the blood of its martyrs, but Islam often grew by the killing of its opponents. Christ’s teaching eventually led to the development of complementary roles for men and women, but Muhammad’s teaching led to female subservience. Christians looked at slavery critically over the centuries and often fought for its abolition, but Muslims began the practice of enslaving Africans, and some Islamic countries today still allow slavery." From Marvin Olasky - 12-04