"The struggle against Islamic terrorism is a struggle for hearts and
minds in the Muslim world," Michael Friedman, chief of publications with the
State Department's Bureau of International Information Programs, said.
The book also contains a color-coded, state-by-state map of mosques
throughout the United States. The publication does not cite the prosecution
and conviction of Muslims in the United States on charges of working with
Al Qaida-aligned operational cells.
The State Department also reports the activities of Saudi-financed
Muslim groups charged with supporting Hamas and Islamic Jihad, classified as
terrorist groups. Friedman said mention of such groups as the Council of
American-Islamic Relations and Muslim Public Affairs Council was not meant
as an endorsement.
The publication has sparked opposition by independent Muslim groups,
which said the State Department was legitimizing jihad. They said the U.S.
government has ignored Muslims who embrace democracy and human rights.
"It boggles my mind how people who are supposed to protect us [the
government] are advancing our enemies' agenda," Khalim Massoud, president of
Muslims Against Sharia, said in an interview to IPT News.