Islam is what is defined as such by Quran, an dpratcice supported by sharia which is nimpossible to be separated from the Quranic tradition. there is no true Islam without Sharia.
The Quran teaches a fundamentalist ideology. Its purpose was and is conquest, and enforcing own military and social power by enforced unity. Of the masses. It bases on supremacist concepts, racism, explicit hate on Jews, and is not shy to waste own life to help the cause of Islam. Muhammad at one part of the Quran mocked his warriors when before a battle they got doubts on whether it was right that they try to kill those they were about to attack. He promised them paradise when they said they had doubts on whether they want to sacrifice thei9r own life in the effort to kill enemies.
Islam is no friendly, humane, tolerant ideology.
But it is perfectly possible for people to deceive themselves over the grim nature of Islam. Like not all "Christians" that once a year flock into the churches on christmas are really christian, but just want to get their yearly dose of sentimental feelings and childhood memories, Muslims can ignore all they do not want to be known about islam'S inner implication, but still claim to be "Muslim". But they are not.
Islamic ideology is extremely unlikely to be altered by exposing it to Wetsern connsumarism and way of life. Just weeks ago a federal study of the German govenrment had to conclude ONCE AGAIN that second and third generations in Muslim immigrant families radicalise massively and are more orthdoox than their parents and grandparents who came here 50 years ago. Another report at the same time two or three weeks agi I think showed that radical sects - in fact they are not radical at all but just truly islamic sects - massively blossom in Germany, and that the young move to them in masses. "Radical" hate preachers find growing and thnakful audiences here. In fact, thy are just Islamic. Hate is part of islam. In Western thinking it is about demonising the enemy. And To Isdlam everything and everyone not being Islamic is "enemy".
Westerns do not want to listen to this. It rules out their concepts of multi-culti and tolerance could every work the way Westerners want it. But these concepts only work to our own fall, with Islam benefitting from that. Ignorrance is a bad advisor. And we start to feel it. In Germany, in shrinking intervals more and more second-row politicians claim they want to implement shariah in German law code. But German judges time and again already act on the basis of shariah las and respect for this foreign culture -sometimes violating german law that way. Islamic "mediators" already now interfere with police investigations.Witnesses fall silent in fear, families force embers to not cooperate, crimes get covered and hidden, girl trading and abuse of females are on the rise, with the number of police success declining. Great thing, this Shariah mediation. It is becasue Shariah in prinicple is not interested in the question of who is guilty and who is victim. shariah focusses on mediating an outcome that allows the patriarchs to save their face and to kedep the lid on the pressure cooker so that nothing could disturb the social "freedom". And as you can imagine, women and girls come last in this hierarchy of priorities. As already the Quran says, the woman's confession is worth only half of that cofnession of a male, and its moral duty is to obey and to be submissive.
So, Steelhead, it may or may not be true that Muslims have different levbels of sympoathy for the Quranic teaching. But that does not chnage the Quanic teaching itself, nor does it make a big difference in reality. In the West, muslim parallel socieities are masiovely dominated by the true Muslims (you probably would call them "radical" Muslims). And the vast majority of Muslims, whether they be "moderate" or "radical" themselves, do not stop them, give them hiding and shaeter, and cimplain about us when we go after the "rqadicals" and call it rcism and discrminiation and insist we - non-believer sof their faith - nevertheless have to pay full respect to their customs and traditions even if mosques get used for conspiratory meetings, recruiting of cannon fodder for terrorism, and "radical" propaganda.
do not judge islam by what this or that Musolim stells you aboitu it. judge it by the Quran, Sharia practicing, and world history. Objective self-reflection and a critical anaylsis of itself is not what Islam is shining at. Islamic educations aims at right preventing this.
It is no education for learning how to independently using your brain on these issues, but it is about uncritically copying the Quran's dogma.