So, clearly, if today's Islamic jihadists aren't true Muslims, neither was Mohammed. But since we know the Perfect Man was the truest of Muslims, then...well, you can finish the sentence.
In the wake of every terrorist act there is the same argument. The voices-in-the-wilderness right will say, insofar as they're not muzzled with hate-speech laws, that Islam is the problem. In contrast, a leftist drumbeat of media and mainstream politicos will assert that the Muslim terrorists aren't really "Muslim" terrorists, that they've perverted the faith. As to the truth, it's as with any other debate over a thing's true meaning (e.g., the Constitution): it only makes sense to look for answers in original sources.
This brings us to a simple question: Was Mohammed a true Muslim?
It's a rhetorical question, of course. As Islam's founder--the religion was born of revelations he supposedly had in the early seventh century--Mohammed was the very first Muslim. Moreover, since Muslims view him as "The Perfect Man," the ultimate role model, he's not just the truest Muslim but the yardstick by which other Muslims may measure themselves.
