I suggest herbal tea for the rants ... just came across this CNN link about the ancient city of Babylon.
It's worth remembering that Islam is not that different to Christianity and there have been fanatical sects/groups of Christians in the past too. Two thousand years is just the blink of an eye really. Speaking as someone who was educated by nuns in a Catholic school I remember being taught as a child/teenager that you should be prepared to die for your faith. And that Catholicism was the one true faith, to question it was the road to hell. Ring any bells? Sadly, many Christians are actually dying for their faith in certain parts of the world today.