The deliberate spread of Wahhbism by Saudi money has also been a major factor I think, exacerbated by big population growth in North Africa and other countries, a lot of unemployed young people etc. Having said that, the recent elections in Tunisia are encouraging. Pakistan is another issue.

We can probably do little ourselves other than to try to reverse the growth of Islamism here in the UK by challenging people like the MCB when they try to speak for all Muslims – they’re not extremists, but very conservative (don’t think children should be taught dance in school for example) – as well as the obvious bad guys like Anjem Choudary, while defending moderate Shias and the Ahmadiyyas (pretty conservative but “Love for all, hatred for none” motto – persecuted as heretical “non Muslims” by hardliners) and backing the progressives like Sara Khan, Maajid Nawaz, the Muslim Institute (publishers of the Critical Muslim) etc.

Very true. Islam will not be going away and of course its obvious that we must support the more enlightened and educated Muslims which I certainly do. Unfortunately we are always told the politically correct lie that the fundamentalists are just a tiny insignificant minority. It seems to me that it is the other way around. The majority of Muslims come from the real Islamic world of the Middle East and Asia NOT Europe. European Muslims tend to me much more moderate and reasonable in their approach and may well be on the same side as us but this is because they have been exposed to Western values of free thought and discussion. But they are the minority. The most worrying factor is that the more radical elements in the real Islamic world dont need to be reasonable or moderate because they can simply spread their authoritarian ideology by sheer force of numbers not by reason at all. They have large families and all their offspring have little choice but to follow the blind and narrow path. They are slowly overriding the moderates by size alone.

You’re right that Quaranic literalism is far more widespread and therefore more dangerous, than Bibliccal literalism. But it’s not true to say that all Muslims are literalists nor that those who are don’t pick and choose the bits they want to emphasise, just as Christian literalists do (they both have to because the Quaran and the Bible are inconsistent). The risk here is that atheists simply support the “only true Muslims think like us” narrative of ISIS and other hardliners.
Islam, in all its many forms, will not be going away in the foreseeable future. So simply saying it’s all dangerous isn’t going to get us anywhere. Far more useful to recognise and support those Muslims who advocate enlightened forms of Islam. They are the only ones who will make a dent in the Islamist ideology which feeds extremism, and they’re on the same side as we are.

Yes ISIS are appalling bigots but they are true believers, they are simply reenacting the way Muhamed founded Islam and they are inspired by the Koran because it is the literal and unalterable word of God

The apologists for Islamism and Islam for that matter always use the same inconsistencies and violent passages in the old and new testaments of Judaism and Christianity to defend the even more inexcusable passages in the Koran. They are completely ignoring the very obvious fact that Muslims claim the Koran is the direct and unalterable truth straight from Allah. That is the real reason that Islam is so dangerous because it inspires the true believers to act literally on those often very outrageous words without any qualms, because Allah is directing them.

The Bible and the Quran are also violent, murderous, misogynistic, racist and extremely bigoted. Are they not?
I will definitely take a look at what you referred, as I like to be educated in all positions, whether or not I agree.

Suggest you talk to some real Muslims, like Maajid Nawaz, Sara Khan, Ziahuddin Sardar, Yasmin Rehman… or look at information on the Ahamdiyya….I think you’ll find that your generalisation is wrong. Or read this: http://humanistlife.org.uk/2015/01/19/common-ground-dialogue-how-can-humanists-and-muslims-live-and-work-together-in-21st-century-london/

By the way, the KKK are analogous to ISIS – appalling violent bigots.

I am expressing what seems logical. It’s is like saying I am KKK but I don’t believe in the part about white supremacy… Huh? Then how are you KKK? Because ur parents told you so and you wear a white hat? If being part of an atrocious ideology is “part of your identity” that is unfortunate and I understand that it takes some psychological unraveling to move away from a cult that you don’t truly follow. What is this defense about “literalism”? So ok I don’t “actually” “Literally” follow Islamic faith but I am still of it? Huh? There is no logic in that.

This is a classic example of “no true Muslimism”, and exactly the argument applied by the extremists. What right have we as atheists got to tell someone who says they are a Muslim and for whom Islam is an important part of their personal identity, but who rejects the crude literalism of the Islamists, that we know better?

But why call yourelf Muslim if you dont adhere to the ideology of your religions holiest book? Same with Christianity/Judaism… if you dont adhere to the ideology of the bible, how are you Christian/Catholic/Jewish? The book of your religion is horrific, you cant cherry pick the pages you like and say that you dont follow the laws of the “other pages”… then you are a hypocrite. The “extremists” are the TRUE followers of the religion (the Quran and The bible) in both Islamic and Abrahamic religions. The “peaceful” muslims and Christians are hypocritical brainwashed folk who cant let go of their culturally indoctrinated identity, even though they dont believe in the ideology of the book. Stop calling yourself Muslim if you dont want to be attached the the atrocities that the religions book calls for. Same goes for Christians, Jews and Catholics.