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One highly respected U.S. Muslim willing to be quoted was Yemen-born Abdulwahab Alkebsi, who has dedicated his career in the United States to promoting the compatibility between Islam and democracy... Alkebsi said, "What bothers me the most is this: In the eyes of the American elite, political Islamist movements using violence to reach their goals have become representative of Islam." Alkebsi urged a two-pronged response to this dilemma: "In this country, American Muslim organizations must educate the U.S. that Islam is compatible with democracy, pluralism and even secularism."

NO.

Americans DON'T NEED EDUCATING.

What Muslims must do is DEMONSTRATE BY THEIR WORDS AND ACTIONS THAT THEY HAVE RENOUNCED VIOLENCE AS A MEANS OF PROMULGATING THEIR FAITH.

This means denouncing CAIR and other Muslim advocacy groups that spread lies.

It means denouncing and reforming the "education" that is carried on in Wahabbi funded Islamic schools, EVEN IN THE U.S.

The Pew Report shows that there is no time to lose. Not only is the number of Americans equating Islam with violence steadily increasing. But the share of U.S. citizens believing that all, most or at least half of all Muslims around the world are anti-American has also risen from 36 to almost 50 percent since March 2002.

DUH.

THAT'S BECAUSE THEY ARE ANTI-AMERICAN, AS SHOWN BY POLL AFTER POLL!!!

Is Islam more unpopular because we are fighting a war against Muslims? Or is it more unpopular because Americans are reading and learning more about the religion? (Perhaps Both)

NEITHER.

It's because of what Muslims are doing throughout the world.

It is their own actions (and the lack of renouncement and the equivocation of the response by Muslims) which cause them to be viewed as violent.

What Muslims must do is DEMONSTRATE BY THEIR WORDS AND ACTIONS THAT THEY HAVE RENOUNCED VIOLENCE AS A MEANS OF PROMULGATING THEIR FAITH.

Ultimately, I think this is what it is really about. Muslims have done a terrible job in the post 9-11 USA - they have not been visibly critical of the extremists, remain insular, and have not taken the steps to be seen as unambiguously on the side of

This is a shame. When the other shoe drops (and it will, and I am afriad it will victimize more than 3,000 americans, history tells us that americans bust some heads. I would hate to see an unnecessary bloodletting in the streets because these folks were too arrogant to take the right side in this confrontation.

Some Muslims complain about their treatment post 9-11. They haven't seen anything yet: after another (inevitable) disasterous attack, larger in scope than 9-11, sadly innocent folks will be hanging from lamposts, and cops & sherrifs will look the other way.

It's as american as apple pie, really.

In the eyes of the American elite, political Islamist movements using violence to reach their goals have become representative of Islam."

What "elites" is this geek talking about? I have yet to hear any American "elites" bad-mouthing Islam, unless he considers people like Pat Robertson an "elite".