There are indeed moderate Muslims, the problem is that there are three kinds. Those sufficiently acculturated to living peacefully in minority status in non-Muslim lands, for example Russian (not Chechen) Muslims who denounced 9/11 immediately, those sufficiently secularized to be as alienated from Islamic tradition as a druidism-dabbling Episcopalian priestess is from Christian tradition, and those for whom moderation is a veil, a tactic to advance the cause of Islam as traditionally understood.
The first are relevant only to the societies where they are found--mostly in Asia. The second are precious few and not very helpful. Lest it be thought that my description of the third kind of moderate Muslim is too cynical, I refer you to the history of the sufi in India. They seemed the very soul of moderation--adopted some Hindu spiritual practices, were peaceful to their neighbors, well-spoken, etc. But when push came to shove, their friendly moderation was revealed to be a ruse to 'spy out the land' and they fought with the other Muslim to kill or convert their former 'friends'.
In the Lebanese civil war, it was the secularized Sunnis who were the most vicious, showing none of Islam's traditional deference to holy places of other 'peoples of the book', destroying and desacrating Christian churches. (Traditionally, Muslims whitewash over icons rather than destroying them, and make captured churches and synagogues into mosques rather than destreying them.)
Do not forget that lying to non-Muslims to advance the cause of Islam is considered a virtue in Islam.
Your tagline says it all...
Good post, thank you for your moderation, a commodity in short supply around here on this topic wouldn't you say?
I would be interested in what the "push was that came to shove" and caused the Sufis to fight. People fight all the time and it does not necessarily reflect on their religion but on themselves as people and/or their circumstances.
As for the Sunnis, they seem to be the most corrupted by the heresy of Wahhabism, a fascist cult if there ever was one. A lot of people here seem to want to make Islam out to be Wahhabism which is wrong. Am I right?
Lying about Islam is seen as a virtue, so? What a religion is at its core and what many of its followers say it is are usually miles apart. Liars who do so for cultural, personal, political, or any other reason are just that- liars, not true followers- and all this says nothing about the validity of the religion does it?