Why do Atheists defend Islam?

[Mister Agenda]

If Islamic terrorism was really only caused by economic and political reasons, then people from the USA and UK wouldn't be leaving these prosperous nations to join them. Islam is indeed a driving factor in terrorism. Is it the only factor? No, but it's a significant one.

Not to mention South America, where I come from. It's also a 3rd world continent with corrupt governments, drug problems, education problems, and lots of poverty. But we don't get Catholic people over there (since it is mostly very Catholic) running around the streets constantly killing each other in the name of Jesus. To say all this nonstop bloodshed in the name of "Allah" has absolutely nothing to do with the fundamental nature/culture of Islam is just dishonest.

South American Catholics are pretty homogenous compared to Shia, Sunnis, Sufis, Ahmadis, and Ismailis. Muslims are generally not running around killing people who agree with them either. DAESH ideology is so different from the typical Sunni's that it ought to be counted as a separate sect.

To pretend the European wars of religion (1524-1648) had absolutely nothing to do with the fundamental nature/culture of Christianity is just dishonest.

You kind of have to take them both or take neither, but you don't get to pick one or the other. If over a hundred years of bloody war between different Christian sects doesn't speak to the fundamental nature/culture of Christianity, the mere fact that the Islamist troubles are more current does not make them more relevant if the topic is fundamental nature/culture.