The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs Washington File has published [1] a release entitled "Muslims Reach Out to Non-Muslim Americans During Ramadan: Muslims seek to clear up misperceptions about Islam."

It features comments made by Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), on the November 19 "Global Exchange" television program. CAIR is identified as a "Washington based advocacy group that seeks to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in America and present an Islamic perspective on issues of importance to the American public."

No mention is made, of course, of the [2] many questions surrounding [3] CAIR's real posture toward Islamic radicalism, which may have been why CAIR [4] wasn't invited to the President's recent Ramadan iftaar.

Might CAIR be persona non grata at the White House and still be a good friend of the State Department? Maybe. Or maybe administration officials are being good dhimmis, and caving in to the pressure created by the universal media treatment of CAIR as a moderate Muslim group.