>I have multiple theories:

chr(96)) The Islamic word is a mono- religion just like any other. They also have their first order of business to declare that (1) they are right, (2) that everyone else is wrong and (3) that everything else follows from (1).

>a) The Islamic world suffers from a mass inferiority complex, and the mullahs interpret everything as being a slight against the religion;
>b) The Islamic world suffers from mass paranoia, and the mullahs interpret everything as an attack against the religion;
>c) Rioting is a spectator sport in Muslim population centers;
>d) Unemployment is rampant in the Muslim world, and rioting gives them a way to pass the time;
>e) Islam is fundamentally intolerant of other religions and views outside those proclaimed acceptable by the mullahs.

Compared with today's Christianity, sure - mainly because Christianity has a lot of competition from inside, i.e. there are not just two major sides after the great rift of XI century, but also all brands of protestantism etc etc.

Islam is nearly fourteen centuries old, and they are still working out some social diseases which were typical of Christianity in previous centuries... like forcing itself into a position of state religion, playing the role of the court, influencing legislation and politics all over the place, telling the masses what to do, telling the masses what they must not do, having monopoly on (registration of) marriages, births and deaths, and generally running the place.

Now this being XXI century, I wish they had worked it out earlier and become a tolerant civilization as fits the century. But then their current state of mind is pulling backwards from what they saw of the XX century - colonializations, being treated as second-rate people in many places, being exploited by Western companies, having governments imposed or propped up by West upon them (both Saddam and Shah Reza, for instance), having their borders carved arbitrarily by departing colonial masters. Now West may have some values that they'd adopt, but they're throwing out that baby with the dirty water, for such is the nature of most of religions. If you depict someone as a devil/shaitan, no matter how rightfully, nothing coming from that guy can be good, despite any common sense.

>Personally my patience for these shenanigans is pretty thin. Probably a good thing I'm just a geek.

I hope you have the patience at your job. With today's software, you'd need it :).