Americans are largely a forgiving people. After the attacks committed in Allah’s name on September 11, 2001, even the President who launched the “war on terror” insisted Islam is a “religion of peace.” But as the ten year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks draws near, the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life has published a new survey which reveals the high cost citizens of a Muslim nation must pay for peace. Although the western news media is strangely reluctant to cover the report, it demonstrates the obvious: countries dominated by Islam have the least religious freedom.

The statistics are overwhelming.

For example, according to the CNS analysis at the link above, “Seven of the ten countries with the highest – that is, worst – grades when it comes to government restrictions on religion were OIC [Organization of Islamic Cooperation] countries – Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Maldives, Malaysia and Indonesia. The other three were China, Burma and Eritrea.”

Here’s another way to look at this news: not one of the top ten worst offenders against religious freedom in the world today has a Christian majority.

Similar results in the area of “human trafficking,” (i.e. slavery), have been repeatedly revealed in the State Department’s annual reports on that practice. Not one of the world’s worst offending governments that turn a blind eye to the practice of slavery has historically Christian roots. (See the DailyCristo report for more.)

Apologists for Islam in the wake of 9/11 were quick to point to the Christian crusades as evidence that no religion has a monopoly on warlike behavior, and that is certainly true. Setting aside the fact that these reports from non-religious sources demonstrate a vast and ongoing pattern of murder and persecution in the name of Allah in the present time, and setting aside the fact that the crusades happened hundreds of years ago, it is true the teachings of Jesus Christ have been coopted by many evil men since the moment he first spoke them. Jesus’ own words were twisted and used as evidence against him in his trial, for example, and led to his crucifixion.

But unlike Mohammed, whose Qur’an directly and plainly calls on Muslims to make war on unbelievers in at least 109 places, Jesus’ words must be twisted to achieve a violent result. Jesus himself never called for violence.

Never.

Not once.

On the contrary, Jesus taught his followers to love and pray for their enemies and forgive them without expecting anything in return.

Most Americans would like to think the best of Islam. Like President Bush, we wish it truly was the “religion of peace” it claims to be. We even go so far as to ignore the mountains of evidence to the contrary to pretend that is the case. But the sad truth is, while millions of decent Muslim people live in peace with their neighbors, their scriptures call for just the opposite, and not just a few times, but in dozens and dozens of places. And wherever their religion controls governments, the result is anything but peaceful. Ask a Muslim who converts to Christianity in Pakistan or Iran or Saudi Arabia which religion stands for peace.

So as we approach this weekend which marks a decade since  thousands of Americans of all religions were murdered in the name of Allah, let us face the truth about the motivation for that crime, rather than hiding behind wishful thinking.

But let us also demonstrate the true religion of peace, with our love and our forgiveness.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” - Jesus Christ (John 14:27 NIV)