[MTVN]

I sort of agree. You can say that you disagree with their reading of the Quran and their interpretation of Islam but to say they are not Muslims? The most powerful extremist leaders tend to be extremely devout and dedicate their lives to studying their religion: its inconvenient that that has led them to believe in terrible things but it doesn't make it any less true.

I don't say that to beat on Islam: some of the most inspirational and progressive people in the world were/are Muslims who have a completely different understanding of their faith and have studied it just as much. And obviously its worth repeating that the vast majority of Muslims lean more towards this group than the extremists. But I am a Westerner from a Christian country with no understanding of Islam so its not my place to say what the religion is all about. It just shouldn't be surprising that Islam - like Christianity - can mean hundreds of different things to different people and at different times in different places. There is no one true understanding of any religion.