On God delusion

Assalam-alai-kum (May peace be upon you all),
Saw the 'God delusion' video, and read the 'love yourself' post as well. Few observations and points I'd like to make:
The way religion is being ABUSED by vested interests to further their own political agendas is certainly reprehensible. The purpose of religion is to emancipate humanity; raise us from our lowly animal selves and give purpose, meaning and direction to life; to help us and guide us; to make us better human beings!
In today's world, Islam is being abused by both: those who call themselves muslims, and those who wish to see Islam and muslims destroyed. The name of Allah is dragged into every conflict as a means to an end. Islam is made out to be intolerant and blood-thirsty. This is as far removed from the facts as it possibly can be. Islam is a religion of peace; it came to confirm the message of old_ brought by countless prophets before Muhammad, and it came as a message of peace and love for all. The Quran repeatedly addresses all humans (ya-aiyo-hannass: O humans), and appeals to rationality and logic in putting its message through. It tells of humanity's purpose on Earth, relation to its Creator, and how we must interact with each other to develop a just and prosperous world for all. It acknowledges that many would not believe, and postpones the decision of their fate to the Day of Reckoning. It proclaims that their is NO COMPULSON IN RELIGION.
As far as religion being used to further personal/political interests is concerned, most religions other than Islam have been used and abused similarly. A study of world history provides ample examples of unthinkable savagery and suffering perpetrated upon humans by humans. The media somehow fails to miss the point, and instead of helping identify such miscreants and educate the masses, it simply has become the vehicle to promote anti-Islam sentiments. If a non-muslim does some crime, it is just a crime of a criminal mind, but if a muslim commits a crime, the entire muslim world, Islam and Allah are implicated. Why? How? I live in Pakistan, and we are suffering perhaps the most in terms of violence and suicide bombings. But do we blame Islam? No, we know that these are anti-Islam, anti-Muslim, anti-state elements who are involved in these heinous crimes which are claiming the lives of so many of our men, women and children; they are being well-funded by their masters as the level, scale and precision with which these operations are being carried out neccessarily must involve huge sums of money and detailed planning. Poor, illiterate young people, who are used as the vehicle for the suicide-bombs, are being brain-washed and bought with promises of a better afterlife for themselves and financial security for their destitute families in lieu of the sacrifice of their lives. This is not Islam_ this is a Bond movie with a twist!
Coming to 'Love yourself', yes, as they say, charity begins from home. If we are at peace with ourselves, our inner harmony in good form, we will indeed radiate love and be in a position to share it with others. On the contrary, if we go through life with a lot of emotional dissonance, it'll eventually take its toll. Therefore, we must love ourselves, our near and dear ones, our Creator and all He has created. Love is going to help us overcome the irrationality we see and suffer everyday.