Cultural Extremes

OK so no one else was going to bring this up apparently.

Many people believe that there is a group of extremists, within the religion of Islam. It is thought that these extremists and/or radicals are intent on destroying the culture and way of life, of wextern civilizations. I think it is clear that this threat exists, just look at the events of September 11. However, what, if anything, should we do about this? If their intent is really to "kill" us, how do we go about the rest of our lives? Do we, forever, look over our shoulders? Is there some way that we can co-exist with this extreme culture, as well as others? What are your thoughts? What do you know about the religion of Islam and how it differs from "Radical Islam"?

I don't necessarily think we can co-exist with such extreme cultures. In order to co-exist with anyone, both parties need to either compromise, or at least accept that others have different beliefs than they do. I don't know too much about Islam, or exactly why they do want to kill us for that matter, but a culture so extreme as radical Islam does not appear to me to be willing to accept any other belief than their own.
Again, I know nothing really about Islam, but pretty much any religion or belief can be taken to the extreme. Think of conservative Christians who are pro-life. There'sothing wrong with that belief until they start bombing abortion clinics. If you think about it in that view, then maybe that's a way to understand the difference between Islam and radical Islam.
Just a thought. Remember I'm pretty ignorant about Islam...