Why is the Muslim religion a "religion of peace"?

[Bengalzona]

I've recently been reading some on the history of Islam. Based upon their history, they have been more cruel and violent than even Christianity (which easily occupies the #2 spot alone). If you look at the history, you see in Islam every violent thing which Christianity has been condemned, only on a grander scale: slavery, racism, colonization, forced conversions, torture, executions, holy wars, church sanctioned raping and pillaging, ethnic cleansing, etc. It's all there. In fact, I am of the opinion that Western Societies learned or relearned many of these behaviors from Muslims.