Is Islam The Religion Of Peace And Do They Respect Christians?

BETHLEHEM (AP) — The death threat came on simple
white fliers blowing down the streets at dawn. A group calling
itself “Friends of Muhammad” accused a local Palestinian
Christian of selling mobile phones carrying offensive sketches of the
Muslim prophet.
The message went on to curse all Arab Christians and Pope
Benedict XVI, still struggling to calm Muslim outrage from his
remarks on Islam.
While neighbours defended the merchant — saying the charges in
the flier were bogus — the frightened phone dealer went into
hiding, feeling less than satisfied with authorities’ conclusion
that the Oct. 19 note was probably a harmless rant.
Now the dealer is thinking of going abroad.
Call it part of a modern exodus, the steady flight of the tiny
Palestinian Christian minority that could lead, some predict, to
the faith being virtually extinct in its birthplace within
several generations — a trend mirrored in many dwindling pockets of
Christianity across the Islamic world.
This is one of the major themes the pope is expected to carry to
Turkey for a four-day visit beginning Nov. 28 — his first papal
visit to a predominantly Muslim nation. The Vatican calls it
“reciprocity:” Muslim demands for greater sensitivity from the
West must be accompanied by stronger protections and rights for
Christian minorities.