Dear muslim Mr Banks
you sound like a western convert or a second generation muslim of parents who migrated to the west, otherwise you won't put that much value in freedom and equality... wich are values derived from the christian world.
It's funny that even a fellow muslim condemns you in this forum for rejecting the hadiths... not one sunni rejects the sahih hadiths and these make up for 90% of islam. you sure you are a muslim? I bet you also believe everything in the hadiths, are lies, insulting bukhari and muslim devoted muslims who compiled the hadiths in the century after muhammed... you think a 21th century muslim to know more about muhammed then the sources wich were the closesth to it.
too afraid that what is in the hadiths might be true, that your religion is really founded by a madman who screamed jihad all the time like the traditionalists. Well i'm sorry to break it to you, but every source seems to agree on that... the Tabari, the Sahih Hadiths the Quran and Ibn Ishaq's biography of Muhammed... If you choose to ignore that, then you are not a muslim, cause if muhammed got islam wrong, then it's highly unlikely that you will get it right.