It seems to me that the whole "infidel" thing goes beyond the western equivalent, "unbeliever". I'm not a religious scholar by any stretch, but I believe the general instructions (as well as current interpretations) are to convert the unbeliever and to kill the infidel. If so, that dictates a slightly different approach to the outside world. The end result can be the same (gotta love those end-of-the-bayonet conversions), but there's certainly a difference of tone that can't be ignored.
It's rather more complex than that, actually. Islam distinguishes between several groups of non-believers, with different rules governing each of them. "Infidel" would map best to the concept of "kafir," or "apostate," and traditional Islamic law does indeed prescribe death as punishment for apostasy. (It actually works like this in a few benighted corners of the world, such as those parts of Afghanistan that are under Taliban control.)
However, Christians and Jews (and by extension Westerners in general) don't fall under this definition -- we're considered "Ahl al-Kitab," or "People of the Book." The shari'a rules about treating us are quite different; in an Islamic country we'd be treated as dhimmis or "protected minorities" -- not unlike the way Western countries treat non-citizens with permanent residency permits, such as Green Card holders in the US. They're also very explicit about not forcing conversions; much more so than Christianity with its categorical evangelization imperative -- "Go forth and make all peoples my disciples" and all that commotion.
Christians living in (stable) Muslim countries (like Turkey, Egypt, or Malaysia) are subject to quite a few restrictions, but there's generally very little pressure on them to convert. Of course, if the shit hits the fan, the minorities are likely to suffer, just like everywhere else: the pogroms against and exodus of Assyrian Christians from Iraq just these past few weeks and months is a recent and tragic example.
Historically, Christian law has been a good deal stricter about searching out and punishing heretics and unbelievers.
Regardless, it comes down to education. Just as we simply had to elect Saint Barack to convince the world we're not belligerent dipshits, the broader muslim world needs to step up to convince the world that Osama and Yemen aren't the face of Islam.
Didn't we have this conversation too, a while back? IIRC I pointed you towards any number of Muslim organizations that are trying to do just that. Somehow, they just don't seem to get much media exposure.