I don't know that I would necessarily agree that Islam facilitates violence, but I do think it does promote a more belligerent mindset. One need look no further than the black leadership of the '60s to see a contrast in styles between MLK and Malcolm X. Both were great men that were in a fight against injustice, but their styles and rhetoric were extremely different.

Perhaps it is a misperception, but I think the Islamic world values voices of militancy similar to Malcolm X and there are precious few purveyors of compromise and understanding. I haven't heard a single Islamic voice calling out in the wild about how the situation can be resolved peacefully.

Of course, it's quite possible that the voices of reason, moderation and compassion within Islam are kept under wraps by dictatorships and theocracies. And, of course, any person that stands up and tries to present a solution (other than the Final Solution), is instantly noticed by the extremists groups.

One other undercurrent within the Arab world that I keep hearing about is the idea of establishing a Pan Arabic Empire. That is, it seems to be the dream of a lot of these people that the entire mideast should be a single country ruled by the laws of Islam. This seems to be the biggest beef that they have going against the west - they blame the west for dividing them up into small fiefdoms.

The problem is that in order for this dream to become a reality, practically every government in the area as it currently exists would have to be toppled. I can easily imagine some 100 million people becoming the victims of this effort to bring about Pan Arabia.