As near as I can tell, it is illegal to attempt to convert Muslims to any other religion in all Islamic countries. The penalties range from flogging to death.
Recent news stories that caught my eye included:
In Iran, men can visit prostitutes, if they consider it a temporary marriage
Islamic courts sentencing rape victims to death by stoning
Attempts on the lives of newspaper reporters for suggesting the Mohamed would have taken a beauty pageant contestant as one of his wives (he had many, including at least one child), The end result was widespread rioting.
Female circumcision
A faith that encourages suicide attacks, even by children
Etc…
Every description I read of the Islamic concept of heaven seems to be one that espouses that you will be able to freely indulge in sinful behavior denied you on earth (for men that is). 17 virgins and staying drunk all the time is heaven?
It is the most female unfriendly institution imaginable.
The doctrine of the faith, as espoused by its leaders seems to doom these countries to unbroken poverty.
The argument is this, Islamic countries ban the preaching of Christianity or other non-Islamic religions because their own is a fraud, hijacked by criminals, and forced to conform to the political beliefs of a few. Should other faiths be allowed to introduce themselves to these countries, the user unfriendly faith of Islam would fail.
With the fanaticism by the faithful displayed on CNN nightly, why are such laws needed at all?
Well, no. Some predominantly Muslim countries, mainly in the Middle East, ban all proslytizing, others put restrictions on it, and others don’t have any restrictions.
As for your examples,
1 The Shi’ite concept of temporary marriage is a little more complicated than you make it out
2 There’s a death penalty in Islam for adultery that’s been misapplied when, like the Nigerian court did, sentenced the woman to death for being raped,
3 Respect for the Prophet is important in Islam (and by the way, he didn’t have sexuial relations with his wife till she was in puberty…the marriage was political
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Female circumcision isn’t part of Islam, but a cultural thing in parts of Africa
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Almost all jurists condemn suicide attacks as contrary to the law. In fact, suicide is one of the worst things you can do in Islam.
You’re confusing regional cultural practices with religious practices.
All terrorism, including suicide bombing, is explicitly and roundly condemned by the vast majority of Islam. Those are political acts, not religious ones.
One thing though is I’ve never heard of any Islamic groups encouraging suicide bombing by children, even Hamas (not exactly against suicide bombing) strongly discourage those under 18 from taking part in suicide attacks, and though my knowledge is only limited to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in this respect I believ there have only been 3 suicide bombers under the age of 18 and none younger than 16. I think the OP’s confusion arises from the use of the term ‘Martyr’, which is taken to mean suicide bombers in the US, when in Palestinian culture it means any Palestinian killed by the Israelis.
Is the Arabic term badly translated into the English word “Martyr”?
The newscasters killed in the Iraq war from Al Jazera (sp) were referred to as martyrs. Does it rather mean “hero” or something?
There is no such thing as “Islam” as an identity, any more than there is such a thing as Christianity. The range of thought spans the whole spectrum from the Zen-like wisdom of the Sufi to the knuckle-walking fundamentalism of the Taliban. Maybe the Jews spend more time arguing vociferously over theological minituae, but its a close call if they do.
After all, are the Unitarians responsible for David Koresh?
Well obviously maetyr means different things to different people, so for Hamas the suicide bombers are described as ‘martyrs’, but when the PLO and PNA talk about martyrs they mean thise killed by the Israelis, whether involed in terrorist or guerilla action or just innocent civilians.
Having lived in a Muslim country the idea thatall Muslims are mad fanatics is laughable, it’s like thinking that the CofE are the same as ther Branch Davidians because they are both Christian churches.
Back to the OP, I once met some American Missionaries in an Islamic country, though they were never subject to violence or intimadation I think they were eventually asked to leave.
The Unitarians are responsible for everything. 
The OP aked whether or not the laws in some Islamic nations forbidding the conversion of Muslims, or attempting same, were not signs of a weak religion that knows it couldn’t hold its own in a free and open marketplace of ideas.
I would say “Yes.” It’s the only reasonable response, given the facts.
The OP then throws in a bunch of bad practices that have occurred in some Islamic countries and asks if they aren’t sign of a weak religion.
I would say “No.” They’re more the result of the widespread ignorance and barbarism that prevails in most Muslim countries. Cecil has his work cut out for him in those places, in fact I suspect most of them would ban the Straight Dope especially if it covered Islamic issues to any great extent.
I would also add that any Christian that favors school prayer and the Pledge as now constituted is on shaky grounds in terms of criticizing governments for enforcing religion.
What we see in Moslem countries today was also commonplace in Christian countries a few hundred years ago.
I’ve often wondered if Islam is going thru this intolerant period just as Christianity did, and being about 500 yrs younger than Christianity, it’s about 500 yrs out of sync. I know that’s overly simplistic, and Islamic coutnries were fairly tolerant of other religions in the past, but there might be some truth in there.
I am not justifying any worngdoing by Moslems or intolerance by Moslem coutnries, just trying to understand it.
Palestinian TV has music videos that encourage children to throw rocks at tanks.
We have video games that promote murdering prostitutes.
What does that have to do with suicide bombing?
Perhaps it’s the pictures of their being carried around dead afterwards.
Dead from what? Israeli soldier? That’s neither suicide nor is it bombing.
I would say that throwing rocks at a tank is suicide, but I’ll concede the point.