[Cachelot]

The brand of Islam practiced by us Turks has always been different than the Arab motto

The question then becomes: is it still Islam? It is certainly not "mainstream" Islam.

[a_Turk]

The question then becomes: is it still Islam?

Sure it is. All it takes to be Muslim is to be able to say that there is one God and that Mohammed is His messenger. And if you give alms, keep clean, and pray then you're good to go. Islam is not about oppressing women: on clothing, for example, the Koran asks that private areas be covered. Now if chauvinism is practiced in Arabia and the guys think that their wives should be covered from tip to toe just to keep other men from looking at them, that's their business. Nowhere does it say that women should be kept ignorant and opressed.

On the subject of warfare, eluding your enemy is paramount in many cultures, US included. But those of us who are relatively mature do not pick our enemies on the basis of religion, rather on the basis of other competition.