Churchill on Islam.

He wrote of his experiences in
the borderlands with Afghanistan
in a book titled The Story of the
Malakand Field Force. This book
detailed not only the conflict of
the region, but also its cultural
and military history, with notes
on natural history. When his
mother informed him in late
1897 that Longmans had agreed
to publish this tome, he noted:
that "the publication of this book
will certainly be the most
noteworthy act of my life. Up to
date (of course). By its reception
I shall measure the chances of
my possible success in the
world." The book appeared the
following year.
In this book, when describing a
local imam, Churchill coined the
term "Mad Mullah". Speaking of
the Pathan and Beluchi
tribesmen of the border regions,
he noted with some sarcasm that
"the Mullah will raise his voice
and remind them of other days
when the sons of the prophet
drove the infidel from the plains
of India, and ruled at Delhi, as
wide an Empire as the Kafir
holds to-day: when the true
religion strode proudly through
the earth and scorned to lie
hidden and neglected among the
hills: when mighty princes ruled
in Bagdad, and all men knew
that there was one God, and
Mahomet was His prophet. And
the young men hearing these
things will grip their Martinis, and
pray to Allah, that one day He
will bring some Sahib (prince) -
best prize of all - across their
line of sight at seven hundred
yards so that, at least, they may
strike a blow for insulted and
threatened Islam."
Churchill wrote: "Indeed it is
evident that Christianity, however
degraded and distorted by
cruelty and intolerance, must
always exert a modifying
influence on men's passions, and
protect them from the more
violent forms of fanatical fever,
as we are protected from
smallpox by vaccination. But the
Mahommedan religion increases,
instead of lessening, the fury of
intolerance. It was originally
propagated by the sword, and
ever since, its votaries have been
subject, above the people of all
other creeds, to this form of
madness."
After 9/11, George W. Bush
famously described Islam as a
"religion of peace". Churchill
entertained no such fancy
notions. In his history of the
Malakand Field Force, Churchill
wrote that "civilisation is
confronted with militant
Mahommedanism. The forces of
progress clash with those of
reaction. The religion of blood
and war is face to face with that
of peace. Luckily the religion of
peace is usually the better
armed."