I have a few books on Islam bought way before 9/11 just out of curiosity. None of them make me want to become a Muslim. As for the Koran, as a result of reading these books I bought a copy. Perhaps I'm one of those stupid Republicans, but I found it unreadable. I am amazed that anyone could be converted by reading it that my only thought is that they refuse to admit they can't understand it and think it makes them look smart to have other people think they do.
I read a book on social psych a while ago. The book explained that the usual method for being a cult leaders is to say a bunch of baloney that doesn't make any sense and just serves to confuse people. At the end you "summarize" it for your followers by telling them that it means they have to do something you want them to do.
"Perhaps I'm one of those stupid Republicans, but I found it unreadable."
The Koran is readable. It takes work to wade through it, though. Like a badly written text book on nuclear physics. Talk to a Muslim, though, and he'll say you have to read it in Arabic since that's the language God wrote it in. For some reason God was unable to write a book that could be translated into another language without the meaning getting substantially altered.
My take on it is that so many of them in so many countries are illiterate and/or they take at face value what the mullahs cherry pick out of the koran and force feed them. They're too ignorant or scared to seek another path or possibility.