Do you consider Islam a legitimate religion?

Fairly easy answer...yes, it is a legitimate religion. Religion can be understood as faith (belief) through practice (cult); Islam is one of the three Hebraic religions (modern Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). Not only is it a legitimate religion, but it is one of only three (the other two Hebraic religions) that has a truly monotheistic and transcendent view of a god (Modern Zoroastrianism being something of a cult of Islam rather than a separate religion). All other religions can be placed in the category "Continuity"—those that believe less of transcendent deities and more continuous with the world of nature and the world of men (I am using this term how John Oswald uses it).

Although modern Judaism, Islam, and Christianity stand in direct opposition with each other and are not mutually accepting of the other two, they have the same origins.

I don't consider leave unprotected under the Bill of Rights the Islamic Religion, if we do that we will fail our Constitution

Sgt. Ben Keen, I'm rather like-minded. We have strayed so far off the mark that now peaceful protest under the 1st Amendment is described as terrorism, can you believe that? And divergent thought and speech is called hate speech, not inflammatory speech intended to directly and personally offend and provoke violence, which should be called hate speech. I believe political correctness is at the root of some of this instead of basic common sense. For me, being politically correct means contacting my representatives at all levels when the need arises and properly filling out the ballot on election day.

First, DEFINE what "legitimate" ACTUALLY means and describe clearly WHAT metric is being used to define it. A religion usually involves a deity or deities to believe in. It can also involve belief in a system of thought. Capitalism and communism have by many individuals been raised to the level of religion, evidenced by the level of regard given those systems. Political ideology and party affiliation have also been used as such. Adolf Hitler raised Nazism to a religion, replacing Christ on the cross in churches with a portrait of himself and the Bible with a copy of Mein Kampf in its place, baptizing babies before the swastika, loftily muttering "nazibabble" over that poor child. Even science is raised to that level by so many as evidenced by the stridency of its adherents and the hostility aimed toward those of a more spiritual mind. I personally believe that this universe did not "pop into existence all by itself" and everything did not merely "fall right into place all by itself". I believe it was CAUSED by THE original thought and word. The law of gravity and the laws of motion are often spoken of. There HAD to be a LAWGIVER. Again, define "legitimate".

I look at this question and find it antagonistic and see there is so much going on with the answers. When I see many of the answers it only proves that most people are not mature enough or informed enough to form a truly intelligent response based on anything more than tribal wisdom or media fed jumble. Is it remotely possible that radical Islam spawned from over 1,000 years of them being persecuted by Christians? Or, How have Christians treated Jews? Then there have been cases where each group has chased some other group based on their religious beliefs.

Hmm, I see nothing but a baiting question here. Although I don't follow or believe the teachings of Islam I can no more deny it as a religion as I can any other religion in the world. Do I think they're right? No, but it isn't mine to judge or condemn them either.

Not all Muslims are extremists.

GySgt William Hardy, refer to the attached topic. This boils down to an idea straight out of Orwell's Animal Farm, that "all [religions] are equal, but some are more equal than others." To claim that Islam is not a legitimate religion, or not as legitimate as other religions, you corrupt the entire concept of religious freedom and the protections therein.

Well this is certainly a ridiculous question...

Nevermind.

From the day I first posed this question, I have been talking with a Muslim who just recently left active duty. His father is a Muslim and his mother is Catholic. We have been talking about issues in the Islamic faith that have been altered by those of the radical wing of Islam. For example, everyone has heard the stories about how a man will receive 72 virgins if they die in their cause, which by the way is not true, but at any rate, I found a video of an Islamic cleric who up the ante and is telling his followers that if they die in the act of Jihad and in the name of Allah they will get 100 virgins in heaven. Not only that, but each virgin comes with a hand-maiden, each of them has a hand-maiden. That means 100 X 100 X 100 so that each man who dies taking out the infidels will end up with one million virgins in heaven.

The point is that in our discussions I have been told that there are many problems within the Islamic faith. One is that the vast majority of Muslims are illiterate and rely on what the clerics say and take it as fact. This allows the radical wing of Islam to manipulate the population with lies, false or misguided teachings about the Koran.

There was once a simple division...Shiites and Sunnis. Sunnis were once considered the more peaceful side of Islam. Shiites were considered the more right-wing version. That is no longer true. There are radical, terrorist groups in both of the major wings of Islam. You can no longer tell the good guys from the bad simply by the label they wear.

As I talked with my friend, I told him that if the mainstream Muslims kept silent and did not openly oppose the radicals they would eventually be considered a part of the problem and all of Islam would be considered the enemy. He asked what he could do? I asked him if he could speak with his cleric and have his Mosque make a statement. He came back and said that the Mosque was not going to make a public statement for the same reasons many others will not....fear of retaliation from the radicals in this country. Then he made a statement that shook me up...He said he wished he had become a Catholic so he didn't have to be a Muslim in this day and time. No one should have to feel that way about their faith.

It's been a few weeks since I last talked to him. I don't know what is going on right now.

As far as Islam is concerned it is a very simple thing to answer and a difficult one to comply with in today's world. Islam is a faith protected under the constitution; however, there are branches of Islam that do not fit the definition of a religion. As some of the people here have pointed out, a religion like Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, etc, are basically a religion of peace. All religions have something within their beliefs that allows for protection during wars or other similar circumstances. Radical Islam is all about the taking over of the world through violence. As such, it makes it very hard for many in the world, not just America, to accept those groups. At the same time, they tarnish the reputation of the moderate Islams who are not seeking war with the world.

This is going to be a tough area for everyone for a long time.

The newest thought, and it was also one of Allen West's posts, should non-American Islamic immigrants be deported until this War on Terror is over? Should we be so liberal about our immigration policies and extend our Constitutional Rights to people who are potential terrorists or should we wait until they commit a terrorist act and kill American citizens before we make our move? Tough call isn't it?