how long has islam been called a "religion of peace", this is my question.
if it is a fairly recent phrase used to describe islam, it might show it's definitive link to the left. it was lenin or marx that described 'peace is the absence of opposition to socialism'
The phrase 'peace under islam' is as old as islam itself, I believe. It means that as long as islam is dominant, other religions can exist (the 'people of the book', Christians and jews) as long as they pay the tribute to islam and Christians and jews accept inferior status.