I submit the following: Let's say the majority of people around the world believe in "God", a God may be referred to by different names by different religions right? Let's say the majority of these believers are open to the idea that we all refer to a "God" and the morally sound teachings of all these various religions.. Are you with me so far?
Why is it that one particular religion has a seemingly disproportionate number of followers who claim that there is only one God (their God) and one main prophet/disciple, and that the rest of the world and all their religious beliefs are discarded without debate into the "non-believer" trash bucket? I'm not trying to get into a discussion of religions. I'm saying that possibly Mr. West has spoken with some devout muslims and he may have a different perspective than the general public about how these folks would like to see their religion grow worldwide and at what personal cost they are willing to pay to see this concept through. I've read that some of their present day leaders have a real dislike for western culture and wether you like it or not- we're a big part of that western culture.
I'm not sure we can discuss this without getting into (comparative) religions, but I'll give it a shot.
First, I don't grant your premise. Strictly by the numbers, you are probably right, but the western religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) tend to adopt a single-path theology, the Mormons being the only major denomination that spring to mind as an exception. The eastern religions, however, do tend to be more pluralistic, with Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Taoism being more or less open to the possibility of receiving morally sound teaching from various faiths (generalizing greatly - eastern religions are not my thing).
But either way, the problem is that people are reacting to the fact that "one particular religion has a
seemingly disproportionate number" of shall we say zealots. I am not aware of any demographic information to back that up, however. Islam is complicated by its structure, with two major branches and an enormous number of powerful leaders whose opinions can sway both followers and public opinion. Like Christianity, in particular, there are a host of traditions that cannot be traced precisely back to the holy text. It is harder, then, to separate Islam as a belief system or a religion from the perception of Islam we get from these varied sources. Strictly speaking, however, Islam is FAR more open to the idea of religious pluralism than Christianity and Judaism.
The reason for this is that Islam, in theory, proclaims that there is one (and only one) god, Allah, and that this is the Abrahamic God. While orthodox Islam has many pillars of faith, the only one of major significance is belief in Allah, and because Allah is the traditional god of the Jews and Christians, these believers will find themselves in paradise. Christianity and Judaism, on the other hand, have highly exclusive theologies (which I can explain, but expect I don't need to).
While I can't speak for LTC West's experience, I have spoken to "devout" (Arab-)American, Saudi, and Kuwaiti Muslims and they have reinforced the view of Islam I just offered. It is my Christian friends, in fact, that hold the view that you seem to find so troubling. They abhor many aspects of our "western" culture (abortion, homosexuality, pre-marital sex, etc) and speak out against them, while espousing a "my way or the highway to hell" theology. This is the same basic position held by many conservative Muslims, and it can't be acceptable for one group and unacceptable for the other.
