You're going to be flamed for that post. Don't worry so much about that.
There's a lot of knee-jerk around here. But... For good reason.
Should you distrust your Islamic friends?
Well.. that's the question, isn't it? The more you learn about Islam the more you will learn the answer to that question. For... within Islam, you *have* no Islamic friends.
Either you don't fully understand it, or they don't. The first one to figure it out wins. Good luck.
:-)
I'm not worried about flames and thankfully he can't nuke me.
It's not often I take the other side of the argument but the only muslim friend I currently associate with is a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve and a prosecutor. We drink beer every so often so he is probably about as good a Muslim as I am a Christian.
I got to know a few Muslim officers during my time in the Army through joint training or schools. They were a unique group and I probably pestered them with too many questions. My perceptions were that most of them were most worried with feeding their families, paying the bills, and doing something positive. I also noted that they disliked other Muslims based on geography/ethnicity.
I did not find them to be the monolithic enemy so many make them out to be. The hatred between Sunni/Shia is a perfect example.
We need to focus our energies on Islamofascists and not Islam. That's my .02.