James Ceaser, the best American commentator on why and how Europeans misunderstand us, patiently explains why the European post-Christians really can’t effectively address the problem of promoting democracy in the Islamic world. Because they misunderstand American religiosity, they assume that only their brand of secularism holds out the hope for a liberal and democratic future. American elites, who pay obeisance to their allegedly sophisticated European intellectual betters, are misled by their own heated disputes with conservative religionists and go along with this fruitless quest. Ceaser’s advice is to take a two-track approach, American and European secularists speaking to their Middle Eastern counterparts and American religionists explaining to Muslims how it’s possible to be faithful to religion and to liberal democracy. 
But can the so called "American Religionists"(no one would describe themselves as such) explain to Muslims how it’s possible to be faithful to Islam and to Liberal Democracy?
Obviously religion in general, in the abstract, meshes with Liberal Democracy, but does Islam? Osama Bin Laden’s Islam doesn’t, Saudi Arabia’s Islam doesn’t.
John, do you feel that the several million Muslims living in the U.S. currently have been undermining liberal democracy in some way? Answering this might help you to answer your own "...but does Islam?" question, in practical terms. And do these Muslims get to be counted among America’s "religionists?" I would say that they should.
I meant to link to this post about Kurds in Nashville.