Islam: Religion Of Peace?

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Will, what's your opinion of former Muslims from the Middle East who were really deep "in the trenches" so to speak and now "expose" Islam as inherently violent? Like Mosab Yousef? Do you think it's because that's the only "picture" of Islam they saw/experienced or is it something more?

I certainly wouldn't discount his experience. There are groups composed of Muslims who are motivated by their religious beliefs to engage in violence. Hamas is an organization that is certainly guilty of war crimes and composed of lot's of Muslim religious fanatics (although I'm sure that like many terrorist organizations like it there are plenty of charlatans in the ranks who are more interested in power and wealth or fighting than any particular ideological commitments).

The Salafi Mosque that I used to work near was composed of very sincere religious believers many if whom were very sympathetic to Al Qaeda and some of whom had actually fought with Al Qaeda affiliates during the Civil War. The Imam at the more traditional mosque who confronted them was also very sincere in his religious beliefs. Since there isn't an objective entity existing out there that is 'real' Islam I don't have any basis to say who is right. Islam is whatever individual Muslims decide it is. In some sub-populations of the Muslim world some Muslims decide that their interpretation if Islam is going to be a really violent and destructive ideology.