sufi said:
it's interesting that we keep ending up talking about islam, as if it is the only religion that has muddled itself up with politics,
That's probably because, at this moment in time, there is far more interest among Muslims (not all, sure, but plenty enough) in melding religion with politics. The Christian element in American politics is about frameworks - a prism through which to view the world. They're after a more Christian approach to politics, and hopefully getting their way on a few banner issues. There are no systematic proposals for a full-on meld of Biblical elements with the power of the state (beyond a few Christian Reconstructionist loons). Anyways, the whole Christian conservative thing is over-hyped...basically the top of the Republican Party is run by the corporate types (as it always has been) and their concerns are basically economic. Cut taxes, loosen pollution regulations, tax giveaways for favored industries, that sort of stuff. Sure, they'll occassionally throw a few goodies to the evangelicals, but it's not in their interests to do anything substantial. That would mean losing their easiest populist weapon.
With Islam there are existing theocracies, in words if not in deeds. Saudi Arabia and quite a few other countries have Sharia as the official basis of their legal system. There is no Christian equivalent of Sharia, although Jewish Halakha is similar. Anyways, there is also a sizeable amount of people in the Muslim world (and among Muslim minorities in the West) who want either outright theocratic states based on the Sharia, or a full revival of the Caliphate. There's no movement in the Catholic world to restore the Pope's temporal powers.
That's the difference (as I see it anyways) and why it's interesting and worth talking about.