DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - WASHINGTON D.C.: THE IGNORANT INSIDE OF THE BELTWAY CONTINUE TO DO DAMAGE

Bush ally hopes to win over Islamic world

Lambasted by some as the US's chief propagandist – or as head of its "Muslim outreach" – Karen Hughes has the unenviable task of improving her country's image in the world.

But as a former senior White House counsellor and close friend of George W. Bush, the under-secretary for public diplomacy wields an influence few others possess in Washington.

Having got off to a bad start in mid-2005 when she was pilloried by the US media for having little knowledge of the Middle East, Ms Hughes has maintained a low domestic profile since then, tending to channel her public message to the media of countries she is visiting.

Although not confined to the Middle East, Ms Hughes acknowledges that her most important task is in the Islamic world.

"The number one problem is that the west is seen as somehow being in conflict with Islam," she said in an interview at her State Department office in Washington.

"When I meet Muslim clerics, they are always surprised to hear that the US is also a country of faith . . . They are also surprised to hear that I represent 7m American Muslims who are as free to worship as any other Americans."

[I see it is already 7 million Americans, perhaps that is why the U.S. government may think about throwing Israel under the bus...To think that the moslem population in the United States in less than 24 months has gone from 5 million to 7 million...Amazing really...]

Unlike many of her colleagues, Ms Hughes is happy to give interviews to al-Jazeera and has even visited its headquarters in Qatar.

Although she says she disputes some of the TV station's journalistic practices, ignoring it is not an option.

Al-Jazeera is by far the most popular source of television news in the Arabic-speaking world.

"When I came here there was an undeclared policy of not talking to al-Jazeera," she said.

"It is not an endorsement to talk to them."

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