See, the problem isn't about intolerance or cartoons or censorship. The problem is about political power. And a major strategy to control and gain power is hate. The simple fact is parts of the Islamic world just hate the west. This hatred has no direct connection with Islam or the Qur’an, but through the different interpretations, this has become intertwined with parts of their teaching. They absolutely loathe everything that the west stands for. For supporting Israel, for bombing their countries, controlling the global economy, manipulating global politics, mocking their beliefs, and for the general decadent, materialistic, pornographic lifestyle that we live that is so incompatible with theirs. The real truth doesn't matter. What matters is the truth that they believe in, that they use to feed each other, and fuel further hatred.
It's been by anecdotal experience. A lot of muslims in France believe wholeheartedly that the 9/11 attacks were a Mossad/American plot. Huge number of conspiracy theories have sprung up lately about the Charlie Hebdo attacks. A witness said one of the attackers had blue eyes. The usual goto of Mossad false flag. A group of frigging school aged girls loudly discussing this in the metro confidently tell each other the attackers totally looked like jews. A false flag by the french government to justify a military venture in a muslim country. Basically anything that confirms the west (and the jews, never forget the jews) as devious, cold-hearted puppet masters responsible for all the ills of the world and Islam as one of their primary victims. Islam in the modern age has a deep streak of belligerent self-pity. A large number of SJW lingo buzzwords about tolerance and multicultural harmony appear regularly in their arguements. Selectively, of course. Lots of talk about class struggle, entrenched elites using superficial differences to divide the "people", open borders and of feeling as a citizen of the world.
The again, there are also a sizeable portion that believe in none of this. I think it's an obvious 2way street, and muslims living in France have (if only some) moderated their religious mores somewhat, have assimilated. In fact, it's a major complaint of the salafi and wahhabist imams that come to preach self-victimizing anger and need for retribution in Europe. That contact with these kuffars is diluting the pure islamic faith of their forebears, that their young are drinking and whoring, partaking in all the worst vices of the decadent west, that only by a return to stricter values will their faith endure. There is a silent unspoken struggle between moderates and extremists, not as a binary but as a spectrum (that analogy has been thoroughly ruined by tumblr for me btw). It is necessarily silent because of the very real consequences for apostasy. Despite the surveys, I don't think even close to most muslims in Europe would kill for apostasy. They might approve if they hear of it, or simply not condemn it, or condemn it but with many caveats (the usual "but"). The most realistic consequence is ostracization from the community, the hardest hitting being the primary nuclear family (mother, father, brothers, sisters, wife, husband, sons, daughters). I think that's heavy enough consequences without adding death, which is always a possibility if "high profile" or just vocal enough.
Beliefs in Islam (or perhaps even in general) aren't on a binary scale of ‘moderate’ vs ‘radical’. There is a continuous spectrum, ranging from very moderate on one end, to extreme radical on the other. Most critically, there is a whole ‘intermediate’ range with different ‘tipping’ points.
There are those who would never dare get involved in violent behaviour, or even condone it, but they might secretly share some of the frustrations of the radicals. There are those who might also not condone violent behaviour, but they might share the frustrations of the radicals more openly, and perhaps outwardly incite hate towards the west. Others who don’t condone violence might donate to a mosque responsible for radical teachings, even radical recruits. Others might explicitly condone violence, but they might not be dedicated enough to pull the trigger. Instead they might help a little bit financially or logistically. Or maybe help a lot financially or logistically. Or even though they can’t pull the trigger, they might pass on their hatred onto their brothers who could end up even more radical. They could act as instigators, motivators, recruiters. Maybe on a small operation that doesn't involving killing people, or maybe just killing a few people, or a few truly ‘anti-islamic’ people. Or maybe killing thousands of innocent civilians. These are all different tiers along a slippery path. Once on that path, people can be pushed or pulled to different tiers. Just like any slippery slope to crime. Though in this case, there is quite a large recruitment pool, with a dangerous dogma attached to it.
