Interesting, but the author seems to be making some basic mistakes in confusing Muslims with Arabs. At the very end he corrects / reveals himself by stating that this is about Arabs and not necessarily Islam.
This is my take as well. Islam is not exactly the most peaceful religion, but the way most Indonesians practice it (and I have spent a lot of time there) it is really pretty laid back. Moreover, in stark contradiction to this gentleman’s thesis, Javenese culture puts a very high value on controlling one’s emotions.
Thus, it is perhaps the Arab cultural norms that should be condemned here. As a Arab religion, Islam reflects them, but I would venture to guess that Arabs were like this long before Muhammad talked to Gabriel.
Lastly, the author is also contradicting Muslims and Westerners. This is, for me, a bit of apples and oranges. He seems to want to avoid saying Christianity for some reason but that is the appropriate contrast to Muslims or to use Arabs / Middle Easterners in contrast to Westerners.
Either his thinking is sloppy or he has an agenda that goes beyond this mediocre analysis.
I guess that is the rub. The radicals of Islam have the loudest voices and most visible actions (i.e. terrorism) thus, the "laid-back" muslims are overshadowed.
Do Javanese and Indonesian mothers fondle their infant sons’ genitalia? This is done in Arab culture, and might explain a lot.
In the far East, Islam is considered Western. It believes in world conquest and proselytizing by force, which no self-respecting Hindu or Buddhist would want. Shinto-ists aren’t even sure why they do those rituals altogether, so to them the idea of proselytizing for Shinto would be absurd.
Just a few thoughts. Hope my analysis was not mediocre.