CAIR pursues its mission by working closely with the media, sponsoring conferences and seminars, issuing publications and sending action alerts to its constituency.

On its web site CAIR states: "We believe misrepresentations of Islam are most often the result of ignorance on the part of non-Muslims and reluctance on the part of Muslims to articulate their case."

Recently, Daily Star columnist Ron Chepesiuk talked with Rabiah Ahmed, CAIR's communications co-ordinator, about a range of issues of concern to Muslim Americans. Here are some highlights from that interview.

The Daily Star (DS): Do you work with groups in the Bangladeshi-American community?

Rabiah Ahmed (RA): Yes. We call on Muslim-American communities to join us whenever we have shared concern. We ask their members to come to our press conferences and 9-11 vigils. In this dangerous time, it is more important than ever that the Muslim-Americans show solidarity.

DS: American Paul Johnson was beheaded a few days ago in Saudi Arabia. What impact do these type of incidents have on the Muslim-American community?

RA: Whenever a terrorist act occurs in the Middle East, we American Muslims brace ourselves for the inevitable backlash. This past week, for instance, a mosque in Florida was vandalised almost as soon as the press reported Johnson's death. Hate messages were written all over the Mosque.

DS: The American press doesn't seem to be giving as much attention to such incidents as it did previously. I never saw any mention of that incident in the media. Is that my imagination or am I correct in my assessment?

RA: The local press is reporting such incidents. When we report on incidents does the national and international press takes note?

DS: Are incidents of hate crimes against the Muslim-American community still rising?

RA: Yes, our 2004 report, which covers the period from January 20003 to December 2003, shows a 70 percent increase in the number of complaints filed. Clearly, the situation for Muslim-Americans is not improving.

DS: Where are the incidents of hate crimes occurring?

RA: Mostly in the larger Muslim-American communities, particularly in Florida and California. California is the leader, according to our studies.

DS: Are the incidents done randomly or is there a pattern to them?

RA: It's a combination of both. For example, there is the case of the (Muslim-American) pizza delivery man in New Jersey, who was lured into delivering a pizza to a house. As he approached the house, he was jumped on and beaten up. Clearly, that was a calculated incident. Other incidents have been less calculating. For instance, there was a Muslim American woman in Virginia who was putting her child in the back seat of her car when someone screamed "Terrorist!" at her and stabbed her in the back.

DS: How has the Iraq War impacted on security of Muslim American community?

RA: It's made the situation worse. Whenever America goes to war with a Muslim country, we feel the backlash here in the U.S.

DS: What was CAIR's position on the Iraq War?

RA: We were against it. We felt it was not a wise decision for America to go to war with Iraq. But now that we are there, we have to support our troops and try to transfer power to the Iraqis as soon as possible so we can bring them home.

DS: What are your feelings about the Bush administration and its relationship with the Muslim American community? After 9-11, Bush appeared have said the right things, telling Americans not to blame Muslim Americans for the terrorism. How has George Bush fared since?

RA: The perception in the Muslim American community is that the Bush administration doesn't care about the issues concerning Muslim Americans. The Bush administration makes a lot of rhetoric but has shown no action that will support our community. It's real disconcerting.

DS: I would assume the Patriot Act and what it stands for is at the heart for the discontent.

RA: Yes, it is. The Patriot Act has been used to profile and single out

American Muslims. Bush has publicly stated that he will not scale back the

Patriot Act. In fact, he has the implementation of a second version of

Patriot Act, which will give the authorities more power to pry into the lives of Muslim Americans.

DS: I know CAIR is working hard with other groups to scale back the provisions of the Patriot Act. Will you be successful?

RA: Dissatisfaction with the Patriot Act is definitely gaining ground, and it's not solely coming from the Muslim American community. City councils and library groups across the country have passed resolutions charging that the Patriot Act violates people's civil liberties. More and more Americans are now realising how intrusive is the Patriot Act and they are concerned about losing their freedom. That's an encouraging sign.

DS: What about this year's presidential election. Will CAIR be involved?

RA: Given the status of our organisation, we are not allowed to endorse any specific candidates. But we do compile election updates that we e-mail to the public, making people aware of who is running for office and where the stand on the issues

DS: Can our readers access that newsletter?

RA: Yes, by logging on to our web site (www.cair-net.org) and then subscribing to our e-mail newsletter

DS: Can Muslim American voters make a difference in this year's important presidential election?

RA: Yes, because every vote counts. The election in 2000 proved that. It was so close that many Muslim Americans believe it was their votes for George Bush that got him elected. In the coming months, we will be doing our best to ensure that every Muslim American who wants to vote gets that opportunity.

Daily Star columnist Ron Chepesiuk is a Visiting Professor of Journalism at Chittagong University and a Research Associate with the National Defense College in Dhaka.