Andy, I don’t think we really disagree. I simply wanted to make the point that those verses are not in themselves determinative of the nature of Islam as it is today. Are they of interest? Of course.
We may, however, disagree somewhat on the constant Western references to Islam as a “religion of peace.” They may be sugary, and they may be unctuous, but they may (and I emphasize the “may”) not be quite so foolish as you think. If they are evidence of wishful thinking and self-delusion then they would be both regrettable and dangerous. If, however, they are understood as an attempt to deliver a message to Muslims about how the West would like to be able to see their religion then they are (a) nothing more than a friendly gesture and, perhaps, (b) even an attempt at some level to influence how some Muslims think about their own faith. As such they would seem sensible. The question is which interpretation is correct. A mix of all, I suspect.