I felt that an editorial would be most suited for this topic.  Let me begin by saying that the way Osama Bin Laden has stereotyped Islam is appalling.  I have studied Islam for three years and I know it is a religion of peace and I am fascinated by it.

The prophet Muhammad of Arabia was himself protected by a Christian king of Abysinnia (Ethiopia) during his travels and often aided by Jews.  Muhammad was a very understanding and forgiving man and was granted the name Al-Anin, "The trusted one".  Muhammad knew Christians, Jews, and Pagans alike.  He, in fact, spoke of Christians and Jews as people of the book, believers in the one true god.  The Qur'an is very straight-forward in saying that Christians and Jews are believers, but that many went astray.  What also may (and probably did) effect the writing of the Qur'an were the constant attempts to snuff out the faith and the attempted murders of Muhammad himself.  When Muhammad's army entered Mecca in 630 A.D, he did not go after the Pagan people of the city, but destroyed their idols which were, at that time, placed in the Kabah before their destruction by Muhammad.  Muslims and Christians even shared a church in Damascus in Syria, the Church of St. John (or a similar name).  The Muslims used it for their services on Friday and the Christians on Saturday and Sunday.

It should also be noted that from the 7th Century to the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1922, the Muslim sultans were often more accepting of Jews and Christians than the Catholic overlords of Europe.  The practice for centuries by Catholics was to kill or alienate any Jew they found, believing them to be heathens.  The Muslims however, worked side by side with them for the most part until the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.  Spain was even conquered by the Muslims (Moors) in the 7th or 8th centuries with the help of Spanish Jews.  During The Crusades, upon Saladin's capture of Jerusalem in 1187 from Catholic hands, he entered the city triumphantly after defeating Richard the Lionheart.  When entering the city, he declared that any Christians within the city would be left in peace.  Not one civilian was fought by Saladin.  The Crusaders on the other hand, slaughtered every Muslim, Jew and Eastern Christian they found.

Islam is not just a religion of peace, but one which inspired knowledge.  Baghdad was the center of learning in the Arab Empire and was a haven for learned men and women, whether they were Christians, Jews, or Muslims.  The numbers we use today were created by the Chinese and the Indians and perfected by the Muslims.  As well, the Muslims created the first diagrams of the Human body used by Europeans.  They remained in use for some 700+ years.  The Muslims were the first people to discern that actual microscopic life forms were the cause of illness and not spirits.  As well, at this time, the Muslims were surgically healing cataracts.  The Islamic libraries often had 500-1,000 books.  Most Catholic or Christian monestares had five to ten.  It is also known that the Muslims took advantage of paper long before Europe.  All this was 600 years before Leonardo Di Vinci in Italy.  All this was achieved when Europe believed that praying to the bones of saints would cure disease; when Europeans could not count; when Europe had no idea that bathing prevented disease.

In closing, I am a Christian who believes in the equal rights of all people and I am immersed in this faith.  It is amazing how much Islam saved Western life and what is equally amazing is that we tend to forget that other cultures of the world have contributed just as much as we.  Do not let the actions of fools blind you from the true beauty of other cultures of the world.