That's not surprising. Muslims are still protected today in predominately Christian nations, given freedom to build mosques and worship as they'd like. How many churches are there in Saudi Arabia??
"the distance between Islam and Christianity was no greater than a line in the sand that was drawn with his staff.
If that's the case, then why did the Muslims insist on the passages that adorn the Dome of the Rock? You know the ones I mean - they explicitly deny that God could have a son. That strikes at the heart of Christianity.
Let's turn it around: Christianity is just like Islam, except we Christians know that Muhammed was no prophet. You still maintain that it's a thin line?