"Ironically, these radicals see other Muslims as the greatest threat," despite their well-publicized hatred for the West. American democracy is not a tolerable form of government to them, she said, because it focuses on the rights of individuals, rather than on control by the religious elite.

Muslim Americans who understand democracy, many of whom have a long history in the United States, have the language skills, cultural understanding, ethnic origin and political savvy to infiltrate radical insurgencies.

A Muslim friend of hers trained as an engineer and certified public accountant was so incensed by 9/11 that "he got on the Internet and applied with the FBI," to fight against terrorism. He now works with the agency on such issues.

"These are the people we need, and if we tarnish all of them with the same broad brush we use against bin Laden, we've lost our major resource" in the war on terror, she said.

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E-mail: carrie@desnews.com