Hello John and all,
I will attempt to answer your question in some detail and I hope I don't digress from your primary concerns. I will use some quotes from the Qur'an (Muslim Holy book) and teachings from the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as well as my analysis of some opinions. However, your questions concern a central theme of the Islamic faith and as such, there is a lot more that is open for discussion than I can possibly address in this response.
As a Muslim, I believe Islam has a universal message that would appeal at all times and to anyone who is at the very least willing to engage in meaningful dialogue concerning the Islamic faith, it's adherents and our role in the global stage. As humans, we all continue to exhibit diverse attitudes and characters that are prone to praise, encouragement and of course criticism as well as outright objection. We, I believe by default have the potential to assume any such attitudes/characteristics depending on the environment around us. The purpose of religion and divine guidance, for those who believe in them, is to suppress our distasteful tendencies and bring out the best in all of us.
Equality in different spheres: race, gender, religion, social settings etc. is no doubt one of the finer characteristics of an honorable people and Islam I believe is a strong advocate for it's preservation.
Race: The Qur'an, from which we (Muslims) derive our primary source of guidance strongly advocates the abolishing of any racial discrimination and prejudice. Many verses in the Qur'an stress the equality of all races and the role of race as a unifying factor. A couple of these are:
Qur'an 30:22: And one of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your tongues and colors; most surely there are signs in this for the learned.
and,
Qur'an 49:13: O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also stressed this notion throughout his mission. One of the times he talked about this was during the last sermon he delivered:
"All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a White has no superiority over a Black nor a Black has any superiority over a White except by piety and good action."
These few references clearly express Islams stand on racial equality.
Now over to gender equality - hope you are still reading, this might be pretty long
Gender equality is no doubt a complex issue that continues to be a challenge to all peoples of the world albeit to varying degrees. No one individual can satisfactorily layout what constitutes gender equality because our thinking is different - what one person might consider as liberation and empowerment another might perceive as subjugation and disenfranchisement. That being said, there is no doubt a set of indicators that can be used to differentiate between the two phenomena. In Islam, certain rights are given to men and women with consideration for their roles in family and social settings. First of all, Islam recognizes the complementary role of men and women in society.
In the Qur'an, it is stated that:
"And one of His (God's) signs is that He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find rest in them, and He put between you love and compassion; most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect." (Qur'an 30:21)
Islam came at a time and place where women were treated with a lot of contempt and played a pivotal role in alleviating their status since then. Many rights were re-affirmed including but not limited to inheritance, divorce, acquisition of personal property, preservation of dignity etc. Kindness and generosity to the female child, sisters, mothers, wives and women in general is highly emphasized. Again, there are some guidelines that may be perceived as discriminatory against women but some of these require a fairly deep analysis of other Islamic injunctions for a better understanding and fairer judgment. Among these are inheritance rights and clothing requirements - two prominent features of Islamic life that are used to portray Islam under a less than fair light. I will be more than willing to address these at a later time should anyone express interest in learning more about them.
As regards religions, Islam once again stresses the need to live with other religions on equal terms. Despite many compelling observations that would seem to suggest otherwise, Islam calls for tolerance and respect for other religions. The Qur'an stresses the need for religious freedom:
Qur'an 2:256: Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects Taghut (evil) and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trust worthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things. "
There are some issues that people question regarding the permission to practice ones religion freely in an Islamic state. One such issue is a tax that used to be imposed on adherents of other faiths as a pre-requisite to be accorded state protection, economic and religious autonomy etc. Non-Muslims living in Muslim states were exempt from the taxes that were imposed on Muslims (the Zakat) but had to pay this other tax called the Jizyah, which applied only to them. Islam is a way of life for Muslims - it can't be separated from the economy, politics and the running of the nation. Human civilizations have many ways of drawing boundaries - either by race, religion, nationality etc and we all tend to accord pre-ferential treatment to one group as opposed to another for reasons that may or may not be valid depending on how you look at it. For example, I am a foreign student studying in the USA - I am required to pay out-of-state fees and am not eligible for a work permit or federal loan - these are privileges that US nationals may have easier access to. Is this discrimination? Or is it a state serving the interests of it's citizens first and delivering on it's commitments and responsibilities to the people they serve? All depends on how you look at it, doesn't it?
In a nut-shell, Islam offers a lot to modern western society if you look closely at things that ail the western world. I particularly feel human rights, economic and social justice models can be developed with great in-put from Islam. There is no doubt it would be a hard sell, what with the constant media bashing and of course bad PR on the part of some Muslims. Which brings me to your final question.
The media . . . the media always have something to say just about everything. They push agendas for a living and more often than not, they relay to the public what suits their agenda. What they present to the public sometimes insults the intelligence of their viewers. The best I could say concerning them is a word of advice - choose wisely which fountain you drink from! However, there is a failure on the part of some Muslim faithfuls in addressing legitimate concerns that humans have. There are many practices which Islam doesn't advocate but are blindly adopted in the Muslim world. No doubt we need to have an honest discourse amongst ourselves (Muslims) and chart a new way forward. As a timeless message, Islam must and indeed is flexible enough to accommodate the ever-changing global landscape but it is up to Muslims rise up to the challenge and make known to the world what we have to offer.
I urge you to seek more knowledge about Islam, hopefully in all the right places and make a personal analysis of it's candidacy as a way of life for anyone to adopt.
Below is a set of verses from the Qur'an that I like to recite before I address anyone meaningfully.
"O my Lord! Open for me my chest.And ease my task for me. And loosen the knot from my tongue. That they understand my speech."
