What is Islam, According to You?

This is not a professional study, but a composition of the most common range of opinions on the religion of Islam that I have heard through talking to a variety of people. Comments greatly appreciated...


1) An alternate form of monotheism for the world (starting in the Arabian Peninsula) to exist alongside other forms (an Arab Torah)

2) The benevolent, continued (and final) revelation of monotheism for the world sent by G-d for the purpose of putting people back on the right path (the Torah = the Q'uran)

3) A malevolent (monotheistic) force struggling to replace another monotheistic religion, driven by theological conviction

4) A malevolent (monotheistic) force struggling to replace another monotheistic religion, driven by political conviction

5) A positive spiritual path of life emphasizing ethics and truth, universally true and unrelated to context, time, and place, yet necessarily existing within it in order to affect humanity's positive growth