Introduction. I wish to say finally as I’ve said many times before that this is not a war with Islam

Tony Blair:

I wish to say finally as I’ve said many times before that this is not a war with Islam. It angers me as it angers the vast majority of Muslims to hear Bin Laden and his associates described as Islamic terrorists. They are terrorists pure and simple. Islam is a peaceful and tolerant religion, and the acts of these people are holy contrary to the teachings of the Quran.

George Bush:

We respect your faith. It’s practiced freely by many millions of Americans and by millions more in countries that America counts as friends. Its teachings are good and peaceful and those who commit evil in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah.

Bill Clinton:

Our actions were not aimed against Islam. The faith of hundreds of millions of good, peace loving people all around the world including the United States. No religion condones the murder of innocent men, women and children. But our actions were aimed at fanatics and killers who wrapped murder in the cloak of righteousness and in so doing profaned the great religion in whose name they claim to act.

Serge Trifkovic, Foreign Affairs Editor, Chronicles Magazine

The tendency of western political leaders to deny the connection between Orthodox Islamic Mainstream and terrorist violence are replicated in Universities and the media wherever you look both in Western Europe and North America.

The members of the elite class have the tendency to proclaim that Islam is peaceful and tolerant and those Muslims related to violence are a non representative group.

I would really appreciate if people who make such claims could then explain the continuity of violence from the earliest day of Islam, from the earliest days of the prophet Muhammad and his immediate successors throughout the 1300th century of recorded history.

Robert Spencer, Author, Islam Unveiled, Director of Jihadwatch.org

Do Islam and an Islamic civilisation actually sanction the violence that we are seeing being perpetrated in its name around the world?

If we are going to be honest about this we would have to answer an absolute yes. The Islamic sources, the Islamic texts starting with the Quran but not limited to the Quran, Islamic texts including the Hadith, Islamic tradition, Islamic theology, Islamic law, the traditions of the interpretations of the Quran throughout history and Islamic history itself; All bear witness to the fact that Islam has a developed doctrine theology and law that mandates violence against unbelievers.