Dear Claire,
Most muslims do not condone the beheadings, the kidnappings and so forth that happen in Irak etc.
These actions is not the result of Islam, but of desperation, frustration and poverty. These turn confused minds into barbaric killers, that pervert religion to justify their crimes.
Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols used political ideology to justify the Oklahoma City terrorist attack. However they had no real motives : they were confused men, who felt inadequate in regards to society. So was Ted Kaczinsky, the UNAbomber.
Regarding their treatment of women, this is more a cultural problem than a religious one. The ancient and the new testaments are not very kind to women either. Moreover, women are treated fairly in modern muslim family (in fact, I have the feeling that they hold the true power, as one of my muslim friend told me).
Islam is not the main culprit in the rise of fundamentalism, but poverty, confusion, and a rising sense of injustice are paving the way for false prophets. The Robertsons, Falwells and Koreshes of Islam seem much more violent and bloody, but they proceed from the same source, and they are victims of poverty and ignorance (this does not excuse them in anyway).
These people want the Big Showdown to happen. They feel that the End of the World is near. No wonder they feek like everything’s permitted.
Yours,
Elias