Ask500

Islam is no different than any other religion. Why do you think the Crusades took place, a violent but unsuccessful attempt to nip Islam in the bud. Christians taught them well. For a real laugh read a short story (actually a chapter from a novel) called The Grand Inquisitor, by Fyodor Dostoyevski. It tells of Christ coming back during the Spanish Inquisition and... well the Wiki puts it better than I can, "The tale is told by Ivan with brief interruptive questions by Alyosha. In the tale, Christ comes back to earth in Seville at the time of the Inquisition. He performs a number of miracles (echoing miracles from the Gospels). The people recognize him and adore him, but he is arrested by Inquisition leaders and sentenced to be burnt to death the next day. The Grand Inquisitor visits him in his cell to tell him that the Church no longer needs him. The main portion of the text is the Inquisitor explaining to Jesus why his return would interfere with the mission of the church." Check the wiki for the details. Point being Islamic zealots are no different than any other group of religious zealots.

I think the violence could be due to islam being a pretty new religion........i also think that sometimes it's a religion that doesnt "easily fit" into the western world.