First we must know “Islam” is not a religion. The meaning of word Islam is submission of self to Peace. It is a form IV verbal noun which signifies peace for self.
We often use the word Deen with Islam but seldom do we know what actually the essence of Deen is? The meaning of Deen means to submit or be obedient like how a debtor is obedient to the creditor.
Submission to Peace is Islam. Provider of Peace is a Muslim [active participle [form IV], this signifies one is peaceful or who is at peace. Again it is an individual path. The word mus'taslimūna [verbal form X] means those individuals who seek the path of peace.
Islam basically means to be happy and peaceful. No book, Holy Scripture, translations, interpretations or personalities or groups can teach you how to attain peace. It is our personal journey, although the paths are many.
Peace and Happiness comes through the type of thoughts we entertain in our mind. Each person has his or her own thought patterns. They are the result of experiences we’ve been exposed to and have had in the past. In our daily lives, we use them to label events and they swing between two poles: fear and desire.
Kafir - Mushrik - Munafiq - Fasiq - Mufasidun - Mukazabin - Momin - Muslim, Yahood, Nasara are distinct thoughts / ideologies of different layers of our own level of self - We have to nurture some and some we have to kill or delete or educate from our own System of Consciousness. They are not persons belonging to particular communities but moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of his self, economy or political theory and policy.
We should learn to tackle these various thoughts in our own way if we yearn for peace [Islam]. No book can teach us. Learning is a lifelong process. Just keep your mind open, don’t get influenced by any book or literature. Peace [Islam] is in your hand it is within you.
I would also have to add, in addition the phenomenon Islam or Peace is not a commodity or a pill which can be served or provided to any poor, rich, privileged individuals or to war torn, free, rich warmongering countries. Everyone need peace but we cannot get it in marketplace or we don't have any ready made formula. It has to be achieved by introspection irrespective of his spoiled, rich or impoverish conditions. Only those who have peace can provide peace to others. One cannot serve tea from an empty cup. It doesn't matter who you are, peace comes from the inside out, not from the outside in.