>Jim,
>
>I posted on this topic this morning. I was conversing with some Persians last nite who have denouced the islamic religion long before this.
>
>According to them, islamics who practice the base religion, according to the koran, are supposed to kill nonbelievers. There are numerous remarks throughout the koran that state that those who kill nonbelievers, or those who have made any form of disparaging remarks against allah, will face no form of retribution when facing allah upon their own death.
>

My understanding of this is, at best, incomplete, but what you are reporting goes against what I have always been taught about Islam.

Those who know better please correct me but.......

Islam considers itself a direct decendant of Judaism and Christianity and accords a great deal of respect to Moses and Jesus.

When Islam originally spread the infidels/nonbelievers were violently converted (or killed). As "Children of the book" Jews were permitted to keep their religion. While Jews were accorded a secondary status, they played a large role in the administration of the Arab world (something which I think contributed to the Inquisition once they were forced to leave Spain).

Much of the rhetoric refers to Zionism, which is a political and not a religious movement. The hatred of Israel and the US is based upon having had a portion of the Arab world torn away.