Is Islam Peaceful?

It was often said that Islam is peaceful.  Indeed George W. Bush said "Islam means peace."

For Catholics, this is another issue. Does Islam mean peace? A search of the Vatican website shows no such quotation by the Holy Fathers.

Should Catholics Believe Islam Means Peace?
Obviously, given that the Holy Father did not say such a thing, we should not consent to it. Indeed, some muslim translators have said that Islam means submission, not peace. So, based on their analysis, we should not be quick to concede that Islam means peace.

Islam is the Source of 80% of Conflicts in the World?
This is a stretch to say. This often-cited statement, which comes from various websites. The Journal Jewish Political Review says that Islam has an 80% higher violence rate than other religions. Some sources say they are involved in 80% of wars and conflicts. Indeed, in 2010, 100% of terrorism against Americans was committed by muslims according to the Department of Justice. These are not pleasant numbers.

Should We Believe that Islam is Peaceful?
Just because members of an organization are violent, does not mean a religion condones violence. However, in the case of Islam, the Koran and another muslim holy text does condone violence:

“They [Christians and Jews] desire that you should disbelieve as they have disbelieved… but if they turn back, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them, and take not from among them a friend or a helper” (The Koran, Surah 4:89).

“[Believers] [i]f you do not go to war, he [God] will punish you sternly, and will replace you by other men” (The Koran, Surah 9:39).

“…according to the statement of Allah's Apostle, ‘Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him’” (Sahih Bukhari. 9:84:57).

While muslims say that Surah 4:89 only applies to the time the Koran was written, muslims throughout history have not taken it as such. Indeed, in a statement about the invasion of Spain, a muslim historian writes:

“Musa Ibn Nosseyr sent his son Merwan to Tangiers, to wage a holy war upon [Spains] coast…” (Ibn Abd-el-Hakem: The Islamic Conquest of Spain).

It seems that muslims throughout history have interpreted certain Koranic texts as advocating religious violence against non-muslims.

Is Islam Peaceful?
While certain muslims advocate peace, they might not be following Koranic doctrine. Indeed a group called the Sufis were strongly influenced by Catholic monasticism. Although they have their own violence.

I would say that Islamic doctrine is not peaceful. It is rather warlike, like the Norse Religion of Thor and Odin. However, certain muslims may be peaceful. However, that does not change the doctrine. The deeper you get into Islam, the more war-like you may become, as Daveed Gartenstein-Ross suggests.