Why do Atheists defend Islam?

[abaris]

Not a retardent? Ok, it galvanized Middle Eastern political power for the first two centuries (also, and this had nothing to do with Islam, the ME benefited from centuries of Byzantine culture). Here's how that worked: Non-Muslims are your enemies, take them all over the world and give them either Islam or the sword if they reject it - that's the Koran for you! Their influence began to expand, they rode into Israel, and the Pope got a bee in his bonnet over that. Then rejection of Western ways, directed by Muslim fundamentalist teachers. Still not a retardent?

Simplistic down to the joke level. The Byzantine empire wasn't the first to bring culture to that region. There were much older cultures to build upon. Also, the muslim leaders and scholars built upon the old knowledge, actually advancing science and technology, whereas it stagnated in Europe. And that's putting it mildly.

Last, as I said before. Compare the treatment of jews and/or christians under islamic rule of the time with the treatment of jews in christian Europe. Compare it also to the first Crusade, where the christian fighters went out of their way to kill off most jewish communities in Germany, while passing through on their way south. And endeavor which culminated in the wholesale slaughter of the population of Jerusalem in 1099.