Only true religion syndrome of Christianity & Islam

The problem with Islam and Christianity is that they each claim to be the only true religion. This is particularly true of Church assumptions. This stand has caused antagonism and animosity amongst religions. Even in Hinduism there are many schools with such narrow views. However, the saving grace of Hinduism is that its culture permits total freedom in matters of religion. I suppose we must see the fact that it even allows narrow-mindedness in the hope that such views would eventually learn the required lessons in broad-mindedness in due course of time. This approach seems to work if we take the example of the Arya Samaj, who are an iconoclastic order but evenutally did not develop a narrow-minded culture because of the overwhelming influence of the perenial Hindu culture upon it. This is the important point to raise - you may hold radical views but are you engulfed by a culture of tolerence? Do you allow the holding of radical views by others also? Islam unfortunately has not developed a broad-minded (liberal) culture nor have they, in India at least, been able to break out of the straitjacket of Wahaibi Islam and embrace the liberalism of Hindu culture. Modern Christian states do now have a liberal culture. Maybe it is the bringing about of the liberal culture in Islam that is the ultimate aim of Bush’s doctrine of democratising the Middle East. If this is so, then by all means all good thinking persons must support the move. We will have in return a more tolerant world.