The problem with Islam is that there is no real central authority like the Pope, so any fundamentalist leader can interprit bits of the Koran as he sees fit, with no one to say he is wrong. We also have to remember that Middle Eastern culture is extremely different from Western culture, as it has always seen itself as under attack from the West (and with good cause sometimes). This has hardend a lot of attitudes.
Plus, like the bible, the Koran has probably been altered so much from its original version that it probably bears no resembalence to the original.