I think you have excellently explained the underlying issues. Your paragraph about the concept of brotherhood is an eye opener. I could never articulate that point because I didn't know they had the concept to that extreme. Now, to me, Islam sounds even more like a giant cult because those are strong characteristics of cult like behaviour.
It took a while for me to understand it as well.
The eye opener for me, was the whole deal with Salah Abdeslam and Mohammed Abrini. The two guys that were involved in the terror attacks in Paris and in Zaventem (Brussels). They were on the run for a couple of months before they got arrested.
During those months, many wondered where they were. Many thought they weren't in Belgium and were working with interpol and alike to track them done internationally. It was even assumed at some point that they managed to run to Syria.
As it turns out, they were in the Molenbeek area the whole time. The neighbourhood close to Brussels where these guys grew up and where
everybody knows who they are. Especially so during that time period as their mugshots and names were all over the place.
Yet nobody snitched. Eventually, they were tracked down thanks to a nonchalant pizza order which was intercepted by investigators. Later on it became clear that they didn't even stay indoors in their "safehouse" 24/7. No... they took walks outside in the streets.
I find it extremely implausible that nobody ever saw them or knew they were in the area. So I started digging a bit deeper. There was this group called Shariah4Belgium, who played a BIG role early on, back in 2013-2015 in recruiting young muslims to send them off to syria.
This group was known to be very radical. They were constantly in public places on benches, preaching against the "satanic west". Their members frequented regular mosques and had very alarming talks with the local imams. The imams didn't call the authorities. The other members of the mosques didn't call the authorities. The parents of these kids didn't call the authorities. Why not?
If a radical christian would ask such questions to a local pastor, the cops would be there even before he leaves church.
That got me thinking even more. Globally, why don't we ever see mass protests or marches from the muslim community against these rotten apples?
When they massacred the artists and reporters at charlie hebdo, where was the outcry from the moderate muslim community?
No, instead, when it that massacre was brought up in conversation with moderates, I got responses like "
I condemn these attacks but you know... Charlie Hebdo had it coming, what did they expect was going to happen?"
It bears some resemblance to mafioso mentality, really.
A made guy can completely hate another made guy, but being a made guy - he is your brother, so you don't rat him out.
Tell me, have you ever heard of a muslim going to the authorities to rat on another muslim who's preparing an attack or radicalizing in terrorist circles? I haven't.
Do you think it's likely that no "moderate" muslim has ever noticed the intentions of a fundamentalist?
Heck no.
I realize I'm generalizing here, but I cannot deny that this trend in the muslim community is very very real and very present. In some to a bigger extent then others. But present nonetheless.
All of this ties in with something Sam Harris has said once... Although he was speaking in general, not Islam in particular. But imo it goes for Islam a lot more then for other religions. Paraphrasing:
"
The problem isn't so much the fundamentalists. With fundamentalism, the real problem is the moderates. Because the fundamentalist can hide behind them. Whenever we critique the fundamentalist, the moderate will be there objecting to the critic at the address of his religion. With that behavior, they create sensitivities and lines that we supposedly can't cross. This effectively shields fundamentalists behind a curtain of "political correctness" and an unfair privilege of the religious of demanding immunity from criticism for their religion."
