A “Religion of Peace”? Deconstructing the Pew Survey Results

Contrary to a popular impression in some leading circles, an argument is offered questioning whether Islam is in fact a “religion of peace,” as it promotes itself to outsiders.  Evidence mustered features Islam’s own occasional revelatory declarations about its true nature, including some culled from prominent secondary data, and behavioral indications of actual beliefs, values, and motivations.  If the analysis is correct, failure to discern the reality could prove mortally dysfunctional for Western societies.  Finally, concerning the interface of method and content (comparable to the epistemology–ontology distinction in philosophy), although coming from a social science measurement perspective, this analytic essay endeavors to serve the most fundamental metaphysical purpose of all: excavation of the truth, even if that truth is unpleasant or unpopular.