US sells American dream to Muslims

America's efforts to convince the world that its war on terror is not a campaign against Islam has intensified with the launch in Indonesia of a global media drive extolling what wonderful lives Muslims can lead in America.

In carefully crafted mini-documentaries lasting up to two minutes, and accompanying newspaper advertisements that appeared for the first time yesterday, the state department has focused on five people from different walks of life.

The subjects are Dr Elias Zerhouni, born in Algeria and now head of the National Institute of Health; a New York fire department paramedic, Farooq Muhammad, whose parents migrated from Kashmir; Rawia Ismail, a public elementary school teacher in Ohio; Abdul Hammuda, from Libya, who runs a bakery in Ohio; and Devianti Faridz, a Indonesian journalism student in Missouri.

The US ambassador to Jakarta, Ralph Boyce, said that Indonesia had been chosen for the launch of the campaign because it was the world's most-populous Muslim state.

Another reason, according to diplomatic sources, is that some less moderate Islamic states are balking at allowing the films to be shown. Only eight countries in the Middle East and Asia have agreed to allow them.

In what many Indonesians who have seen the films regard as barely-veiled propaganda, the subjects predictably wax lyrical about how core values such as faith, family, education and tolerance are widely respected in the US.

Mr Hammuda is shown praying with his family at an amusement park, Ms Ismail is filmed supporting her son playing baseball in a predominantly white team and Dr Zerhouni is shown being warmly applauded by other doctors.

Mr Muhammad, the paramedic, explains how he works easily alongside Christian, Jewish and Hindu colleagues.

"We work together without any problems," he says. "They are very supportive of me and I'm very grateful. I have never been treated disrespectfully as a Muslim."

Many Indonesians also say the films fail to address what is seen as Washington's biggest failing with regard to Islam - its attitude to Muslims outside America.

Andi Mallarangeng, a television presenter and politician, said it was good to show that Muslims in America were respected and not discriminated against.

"But that's not the point," he said. "[The US government] has so many inconsistencies and double standards. In international affairs it's doing things that directly undermine the principles - like democracy, freedom and human rights - it's promoting in these films.

"And if America invades Iraq any time soon this effort will have been completely wasted."