“On the other hand, there are westerners who don't value the freedoms we have.”

I think we’re closer in values and motives to each other than you think.  But I suspect many may lack a historical perspective on this.  Here’s a quick overview (all facts):

* Islam emerges in the 7c.
* After the first century, it conquers northern Africa, which had been Christian to a large extent.
* By the middle of the 700s, Islamic armies are in central France (Battle of Tours).
* For 7 centuries, Islam controls the Iberian Peninsula.
* In the 16th c. Islam conquers Constantinople.
* At the Battle of Lepanto (1571), the West narrowly avoids having an Islamic naval fleet take over the entire Mediterranean.
* And as RECENTLY as 1683, the Battle of Vienna takes place.  In other words, Islamic armies were in the very heart of Europe decades AFTER the founding of the American colonies.