The Muslim faith is younger than Christianity by about 600 years. It is typical of large religions that they are more strict and severe in their youth than they are after many centuries of internal debate and re-interpretation of the teachings, not to mention external collision with other cultures. They become more moderate as time goes by.

Now...what was the typical behaviour of Christians 600 years ago? That takes us back to the early 1400's. At that time the Pope commanded all of Christendom and had the power of life and death over people, there were violent pogroms against Jews and other minorities, torture was a standard method of exacting confessions, and people were burned at the stake for heresy, withcraft, and a variety of other accusations by the religious and civil authorities.