Since when did everyone become an expert on Islam?

What is clear that the leader of ISIS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Bakr_al-Baghdadi has PhD in Islamic Studies. Those claiming he does not represent Islam are a joke. Of course you all know much more than him.

How does he 'represent' Islam because he has a PhD in Islamic Studies? I know non-Muslims who have the same PhDs, I guess they are all representatives of Islam too...

They've probaby read into the religion a lot further than the members of tsr who have proclaimed judgement on a religion they clearly know so much about

With each and every hideous attack carried out by islamic extremists the hordes of whimpering, PC apologists crawl out of the woodwork to defend Islam and to heap shame and blame on the West. They take a certain pride in doing it. (Usually it involves an attention-seeking status on facebook intended to make them appear more 'tolerant and liberal-minded' than the rest of us)

Celebrities are even more guilty of this. The renowned quranic scholar Angelina Jolie has recently taken to Twitter to assist us lesser intellects in distinguishing between the Paris attacks and the principles of Islam.

Question 1: When did all these people become experts in the writings of the Quran and the precepts of sharia law, such that they can say with certainty and conviction that Islam is a religion of peace and that ISIS falls outside it?

Question 2: As these people seem to have privileged knowledge that the rest of us don't, what motivates ISIS if not a literal interpretation of the Quran?

I'm saddened that it seems all too many Muslims will put a religion ahead of everything else. This doesn't make them murderous scum like the terrorists, the majority will be the total opposite, but still...why prioritise in this way? Your religion is your business, that's fine in an open society like the naive west have sought to build and nurture, but it seems to me almost every Muslim I personally come across is definded by that above all else. Then lash out when others define them by what they define themselves by. Every other religion wouldn't mention their faith and simply be overcome with grief for Paris given they are our (the UK's, just to be clear) neighbours, and believe in the same values of life as us (again, the UK). Maybe Muslims would collectively have more respect shown to them at times like this if they were on the offensive against terrorism rather than defensive for themselves.

How sad that so many REAL people over human history have been killed in the name of Gods whom nobody has seen. It's effectively brainwashing from an early age basically isn't it, and I say that raised as a strict Catholic. How little value we collectively have for real, living and breathing people. And for what? To hope for eternal afterlife? That seems a tad selfish in itself to me..irony. And aren't all Gods meant to be all loving and that's the whole point of religion? Or am I wrong? So why so much violence? It's all an excuse imo...humans can't help fighting and bitching.

If us as Muslims don't defend our own religion, who will?

Left wingers. All day, every day. I thought I was one but doubting now.

Conveying your grief (if it's there) as a westerner should be the first priority at this moment in time. Then defend yourselves. THEN defend your religion if you so wish.

Priorities.

Bad things like the Paris tragedy are happening right now... yet the world turns a blind eye. And whenever the word "terrorist" is involved, you will automatically think of "Muslim". If religion is the first thing other people target, why can't I defend it? hmm. And the people who caused this malicious attack, are not Muslim, they did not do it in the name of Allah.

They've probaby read into the religion a lot further than the members of tsr who have proclaimed judgement on a religion they clearly know so much about

I'm sure they've done more research than the people blindly blaming Islam

The answer is whatever they say does not prove that they are in fact an expert. This goes for both sides. The truth is, Islam has both violent and peaceful verses. It is a contradictory holy book, just like the Bible. Some of the violent verses do have a certain context/condition by which you can engage in such violence, but if one (like ISIS and such do) thinks the violent verses take precedence over all others, AND there is several other motivational factors (political, societal, economic etc.) it produces the calamities you see today.

Left wingers. All day, every day. I thought I was one but doubting now.

Conveying your grief (if it's there) as a westerner should be the first priority at this moment in time. Then defend yourselves. THEN defend your religion if you so wish.

Priorities.