| As-salaamu alaykum: (Peace be to you.) Anti-Muslim bigotry is at an all time high with politicians and radio talk show hosts leading the way. What should we do in response? What can we do? 
CAIR has launched a new outreach campaign designed to help improve coverage of Islam in the American news media. The new initiative, called "Beyond Stereotypes: Enhancing Understanding of Islam in the Media," aims to educate media professionals nationwide by supplying them copies of our newly published "American Muslims: A Journalist's Guide to Understanding of Islam and Muslims." (To see sample pages, click here.) This guide offers valuable tools reporters and editors need to gain a better understanding of Islam and to write accurate and balanced stories about Muslims. 
In this guide, journalists will find background information about Islam and Muslims, best practices for reporting on the Muslim community, and a list of appropriate terminology to use when covering issues relating to Islam. In challenging common misconceptions about Islam and Muslims, the guide also provides an Islamic perspective on hot-button issues such as Islam and democracy, freedom of religion, women's rights, and interfaith relations. 
Of course we respond to prominent cases of anti-Muslim bigotry, but we also need to be proactive in educating journalists and other opinion-leaders about Islam. In the past, we launched positive educational campaigns such as �Explore the Quran� and �Explore the Life of Muhammad� Our new initiative builds on the other successful programs in promoting an accurate and balanced portrayal of Islam in the media. 
There are many national magazines and newspapers, but beyond those, each major metropolitan area has more than 500 print and broadcast journalists. There are also many smaller newspapers and radio stations for each town or locality within the metropolitan area. It is our collective duty to help educate, inform and correct misconceptions about Islam and Muslims so that people of all faiths see beyond the stereotypes. After working in journalism and communications for some 25 years, I have witnessed the positive impact of such publications. 
So far, some 350 journalists have asked for the guides, and the requests keep coming. Our goal is to make the guides available to some 40,000 media professionals nationwide. We need you to sponsor as many guides as you can. Without your support, this important project is not possible. Each sponsorship costs just $20, but will have a positive impact on the portrayal of Islam and Muslims in the media. Remember, CAIR is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization so donations to CAIR are tax-deductible. Individuals interested in purchasing copies of the guide for distribution to local media outlets should click here. Sincerely, 
Ibrahim Hooper
CAIR Director of Strategic Communications
| 
