The criticism also led to plans for a display focusing on the Palestinian cause. Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol. Whether it's a presentation of Islamic history at a tourist site or a more pointedly religious discussion held in a mosque, Muslims and Arabs are trying to do a better job of explaining their culture, faith and concerns to the West, making it seem at once less exotic and more compatible with modern times, said Muhamad Salim, who helps run the Islam Presentation Committee in Kuwait. But many mosques in the Middle East are open to non-Muslims, and one of the committee's aims is to show that they can be welcoming places. He said Westerners have often come to him convinced that they would be in physical danger if they even walked too close to one.
People have a lot of bad ideas .
Arab interest groups, lobbying organizations and think tanks now offer a counterweight and signal that the appreciation of good public relations is growing. In Dubai, tourists and visiting business representatives can share a meal with the head of a new center for cultural understanding, then visit a mosque to have Muslim prayer rituals and worship explained. It's up to us to reach out and teach them.