Businessmen launch Islam PR campaign

The fight for American public opinion in the United States is heating up: A group of Arab businessmen, backed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, will launch a public relations campaign aimed at improving the image of Islam in the United States. The campaign will cost up to USD 50 million.

Council Chairman Parvez Ahmed told Gulf News: "This is a highly ambitious Islamic public relations campaign, the largest in world, which is aimed at improving Islam's image."

David Saranga, the Consul for Media and Public Affairs at the Israeli Consulate General in New York, said the campaign should make Israel rethink its own PR campaign. He said his department has a yearly budget of USD 2 million.

"It is better that those responsible for policy and budget understand that investing in Israel's image will yield investment, tourism, and political support, exceeding the initial investment in the long term," he said.