There are many people who would consider your stand on Islam hateful propaganda. What would you say to these people?

This type of twisted accusation is common. And I wish people would take a minute to think through these types of things. If one hates a people then there is clearly a problem. But criticism of an ideology or a religion is not hate. Nor is Islam a race. There are Muslims from nearly every race, size, shape and color. So the accusation of hate is never leveled against a Christopher Hitchens or any other of the blossoming (anti-Christianity) writers. Why is the charge of hate only leveled against those who criticize Islam? If one were to criticize Communism, would one be thus hateful toward Russians? If one criticized American foreign policy, would one be hateful toward Americans? Of course not. And it is a perversion to claim that I hate Muslims. The opposite is true. There is a proverb in the Bible that says that, “One may trust the wounds of a friend, but it is the enemy that multiplies kisses.” The things I say, I say because I love Muslims and have the courage to speak out against that which is hurting them as a people. If I remained silent, it would be hateful to the brave individuals in the book, many who are living under a death sentence for leaving Islam.

Religions, both Islam and Christianity, have been the major cause of violence and wars throughout history. You can't overlook all the torture and unjust deaths committed by Christians during the Crusades and Reformation. What makes one religion better or worse than the other?

People love to point out all of the evils that have occurred in connection with religion in general throughout history. But they also often fail to point out that nearly every hospital and homeless shelter in their city is run by or was founded by a religious group. Organized religion certainly has its negative and its positives. But I personally tire of the old moral equivalent cliché’ that attempts to argue that because great evils that were carried out by Christians, one cannot commend Islam today. This is utter foolishness. One should condemn all of the above. Period.

However, as a Christian I will point out that there is a distinction between Christianity and Islam on this point. When Christianity was experiencing its darkest days, it was time when people had turned away from their Bibles. There was a reliance not on the book but rather on a magisterium that was out of control. With the reformation, people began to turn back to their Bibles and thus in time genuine “reformation” took place. But today the radicalization within Islam is occurring as Muslims are turning to their holy books, not away. Christianity is fundamentally a passive religion. Islam is fundamentally an active, often violent and imperialistic religion. The moral equivalent argument falls down when one actually compares the texts. There is no real comparison.