“A small but very vociferous Islamophobic community in the United States began to target us, in partnership with the very extreme right wing, Tea Party, anti-Obama, anti-Democratic kind of coalition,” Rauf said.

“And those forces combined with the Rupert Murdoch news machine of Fox News and the New York Post that really targeted us. It wasn’t about what we said — it didn’t matter what we said.”

But what was played for domestic politics had international implications, said Badawi, who added that the perceptions of how Islam integrates into America’s political and social culture may restrict foreign-policy options for the United States.

“If in America we are having problems between Muslims and non-Muslims, then what can we expect from America if they are to play a role in Islamic countries in the Mideast?” Badawi asked, later adding ,”Any kind of intervention or involvement in all these countries must be on the basis of understanding Muslim aspirations.”

- John Rash is Star Tribune editorial writer and columnist.