I'd suggest reading both the Quran and a good history of Arabia around Muhamad's time. The teachings of Islam were, and are, very compassionate.

Please show me an example where atheism made a man better. Were they good because they were atheists, or perhaps they were good people who just happened to be atheists.
Nobody is claimning that religion equals instantaneous goodness. If a person follows what he believes, it improves him. The abolitionists are a good case in point.

What I meant by refering to choclate, was that if we refuse to change even something small, that doesn't hurt us much in the grand scheme of things, it's a bit rich to go criticisng others, especially when they lived in a different time, with a different outlook.