Improving U.S.-Muslim Relations: My Fellow American

This video was sent to us by My Fellow American, an online film and social media project that calls upon concerned Americans to pledge and spread a message that Muslims are our fellow Americans.

Unfortunately the Arab Spring seems to be driving Americans and Muslims further apart in terms of perceptions and fears. Much blame is laid on the Islamic world inside and outside of America, either for not condemning extremism or participating in it. Some criticism is justified, but much of it ignores the disastrous state of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Barring a complete transformation from its present form, both sides may continue drifting further apart.

Pew Research reported in May, “With the exception of Indonesia, Obama remains unpopular in the Muslim nations polled, and most disapprove of the way he has handled calls for political change roiling the Middle East. Moreover, many of the concerns that have driven animosity toward the U.S. in recent years are still present -- a perception that the U.S. acts unilaterally, opposition to the war on terror, and fears of America as a military threat.”