Was I ever defending Christianity? However, I will say this. All religions are not created equally. Christianity underwent a reformation and its adherents were the founders of liberal Western Democracy. In our country when someone makes an offensive caricature of Christ they aren't beheaded or shot or forced into hiding. Above all, freedom of speech is the most important freedom we could ever have. Islam is a totalitarian belief system that is against all the values we hold dearly in Western civilized society. Muhammad killed those who criticized Islam as did the succeeding caliphs and most Muslim countries. Infact, Ayatollah Khomeini the religious leader of Iran issued a bounty on the head of Salman Rushdie for simply writing a book that criticizes Islam. It doesn't get any more totalitarian then Islam.
this is a pretty fair point, modern christianity has incorporated a lot of western ideals since its creation, and islam has mostly stuck in places with a pretty poor
IHDIof course most religious people obv aren't converts, they were just raised being told that's what they are. they didn't make the decision on their own, it's just what they've always been. people are products of their environment more than anything else, not products of a book. what people think is acceptable, how they act, how they think, what they like, and what they hate are all decided by someone's personal life experiences and not dictated some old book. i've never seen a christian actually do a 180 on their beliefs because they read something in the bible they didn't know about (if they did, it would likely be more so due to social pressure or major life events which have a much greater weight), and i wouldn't expect that psychology changes for muslims either
Socioeconomic factors is just an excuse we see people from all walks of life joining CIA and becoming radicalized. In the gulf states where the most radical sect of Islam is prevalent most of the citizens of those country are well to do as a result of the distribution of oil wealth to the population. Yet, you still see thousands of them going to join CIA and other radical Islamic affiliates. Let's not forget that Islam kills more of its own adherents then anything and the sectarian violence has been going after the death of Muhammad. Nearly one in five British muslims justify terror attacks it really isn't a small number anymore.
the political climate of the region would definitely affect more than just the parts where all the action is happening, anyone with a sense of investment in the conflict would be drawn in as well
