Is Islam a Religion of Peace?

Recently, I have been accused of intolerance and bigotry because I admittedly do not subscribe to the premise - as laid out by the likes of George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama - that Islam is a religion of peace. I've been told that the majority of Muslims are peaceful and it is only a small group of extremists who carry out acts of violence. Extreme acts of religious violence are also carried out by a minority of Christians and Jews, I'm told.

Search as I might, I have yet to come across a single case where Christians or Jews have beheaded Jehovah's Witnesses as Muslims did in Philippines in August 2002. Kidnappings and beheadings by Muslims aren't restricted to Jehovah's Witnesses; farm owner Doroteo Gonzales in April 2009 and school teacher Gabriel Canizares in November, 2009 are two examples off the top of my head, so to speak.

There are examples of murder committed by Christians - such as the killing of abortionist, George Tiller. However, I have yet to read of any Christian minister or scholar who justifies Tiller's murder as Muslim scholar and preacher Yusuf Al-Qaradawi justifies suicide bombings by Muslims.

In an example of Muslim religious tolerance, during this past Ramadan, a group of Sunni Muslims killed at least 59 ".....Shiite apostates who sold their faith for money to be a tool used in a war against Iraqi Sunnis."

While Christians have protested and boycotted the works of Dan Brown, as well as the films of Ron Howard, because of "The Da Vinci Code", so far as I know, no Christian has called for a fatwa against Brown as Muslims did against Salman Rushdie nor was Howard killed by Christians as Theo van Gogh was brutally murdered by Muslims because of his film concerning the topic of violence against women in some Islamic societies.

Perhaps we could ask Abdul Qayuum and his lover, Siddiqa how peaceful the followers of Islam are.......oh no, we can't. The two were recently stoned to death for trying to elope.

Lastly, we might ask Aisha Bibi her thoughts on the so-called peace loving religion of Islam.