Dear rwfromkansas,
"Well, certainly true, unfortunately. Though he was a blasphemous little heretic, he didn't deserve to die for it."
1. Whether he did or not, let's not forget at whose hands he died.
2. I'm not sure that death wasn't deserved.
I remember years ago when I took coursework on Islam, I learned that Mohammed likely derived his religion from the heretical teachings of exiled Catholic priests. These had been exiled for their various Christological heresies, mostly denying the divinity of Jesus, and thus, the Trinitarian nature of God. Thus - Islam. These persons had been exiled rather than executed.
Would Islam have come into being if they had been treated differently? I don't know. But the last 1400 years cause me to reflect on the alternatives.
sitetest
A most interesting theory.
Belloc regards Mohammedanism as a Heresy--your reading would support that.
I rather like Torquemada's and Ferdinand's solution, myself.