It is first and foremost a political system using a 15 centuries old cult as the fascade to enlist the bewildered, the devious, and the uneducated to facilitate murder and mayhem in order to maintain control over the masses and thereby grow the wealth and power of the few at the top.
There is a big difference between a cult and a religion.
Maybe the Italians will reread Oriana Fallaci.
It was founded by a criminal. Islam is nothing more than a crimnal organization with god flavoring and the terrors of hell to keep the underlings in line.