We need talk

I work a regular blue collar job at a local paint store during the week. Just from dealing with the public on a regular basis, I can tell that we are in dire need of some dialogue. The lack of understanding that I encounter everyday is frightening. Muslim, terrorist, and Taliban are terms used interchangeably without a flinch. Our culture has to be revised and reevaluated if any progress is going to be made.
I think a good place to start is real religious education. Not just education of one's own theology, but having a true understanding of the theology and historic roots of all religions, especially our three Abrahamic faiths. One conservative talk radio show host commented "...we shouldn't call them Muslims, we should call them Jesus-impaired..." This convinced me that there is a wide audience of listeners who are not aware of the fact that Jesus is a prophet of Islam, and the Islamic mystics have a collection of saying and stories about Jesus that rivals the size of the Hadith. It is almost impossible, in my opinion, for a Christian who understands the roots of his/her religion to be so judgemental and lack any sense of compassion. Christianity was once a renegade religion before the fourth century. Christianity was created as a counter-culture movement, and I am afraid that the religion has been so removed from that concept, and so established, that we no longer have compassion for minority religions in our country. Also, let us not forget that early Christians considered themselves "spiritually Jewish." According to the letters of Paul, baptism into the Christian faith is a spiritual circumcision, so Christians, although not ethnically Jewish, have entered into the same covenant with God that the Jewish people have. According to the Vatican II Council, the Jewish people remain the chosen people of God and followers of the faith are guaranteed paradise just as Christians are. Therefore it seems ridiculous, on a theological basis, that Christians should have any animosity towards Jews.
The relationship between Muslims and Jews, from a theological perspective, should also have no grounds for confrontation. As a matter of fact Islam and Judaism are so close in their theology and practices, it makes Christianity look like the outsider. From the concept of Tawheed to dietary laws, Muhammad's religion is really strikingly close to that of Abraham. According to the Qur'an Jews and Christians are promised paradise as well, as long as the recognize tawheed and so on. Sura 2.62 reads "...Indeed, those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians (the religion of John the Baptist)- Any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with the their Lord; On them there shall be no fear, and they shall not grieve." In Judaism as well there is a concept of the righteous gentile, after all Ruth was a Moabite.
So from a theological perspective, is there any basis to hate each other? I would argue that our religion's have been hijacked by people who do not understand the purpose of faith. I believe religion is meant to provide us on earth a means of making society cohesive, not hostile. The best way to come to this conclusion is to study the faiths of other, and put that in context with yours, and I think many of us in this country, and world over, will be surprised with what we find.