Whenever Muslims engage in behavior that ostensibly contradicts Islam – from doing recreational drugs and watching porn to killing fellow Muslims – Islam's apologists loudly proclaim, "Aha, see, they're not true Muslims!"  Or, in the words of CIA head John Brennan on the Islamic State: "They are terrorists; they're criminals.  Most – many – of them are psychopathic thugs, murderers who use a religious concept and masquerade and mask themselves in that religious construct." Many self-styled jihadis are indeed "psychopathic thugs, murderers"; some may not even believe in Allah at all.  Yet this does not exonerate Islam, for its "religious construct" was always designed in a way to entice and mobilize such men. As usual, this traces back to the prophet, Muhammad.1  After more than a decade of preaching in Mecca, Muhammad had about 100 followers, mostly relatives.  It was only when...(Read Full Article)