THE speed and scale of American assistance to Pakistan has been most impressive.

Though much of it can be ascribed to America's national security considerations, the compassion for those in distress should be commended, especially when compared to the lethargic and niggardly aid given by Pakistan's traditional friends.

This is a fascinating time for those who are interested in the United States, whether in its foreign policy or domestic politics. The US never fails to both impress and disappoint, characteristics on display especially in recent weeks with two news items signalling a disturbing ratcheting up of extremist sentiments. One concerns President Barack Obama's religious beliefs and the other is the so-called 'ground zero' mosque.

Obama's birthplace and religious belief have been major issues since he burst upon the national political scene. Around election time, the number of those who suspected Obama of being a Muslim was 11 per cent. That number has now increased to nearly 20 per cent. And this poll was conducted before the president's comment supporting the Islamic cultural centre, which was then virtually 'retracted' when it aroused a storm of protest from even within his own party.

Multiple factors are at play here, with the Republican opposition having been further galvanised by Obama's determined effort to promote a settlement of the Palestinian issue because he believes that failure to resolve this issue would play into the hands of those who wish to portray the US as inimical to Arab interests, which hurts US national interests.

Obama is convinced that an Israel at peace with its neighbours is far more secure than one in a state of perpetual conflict. But as the occupying power, Israel would rather be at loggerheads with its neighbours than give up any of the occupied territory.

What should worry Obama even more is a recent poll which reveals that the number of Jews who identify with or lean towards the Republican Party has increased by more than half since he was elected. This trend is ascribed to the perception that the administration is pursuing an unfair policy towards Israel.

Another issue that has suddenly caught the fancy of the Conservatives is the ground zero 'mosque' which is neither at ground zero nor a mosque. Named the Cordoba Initiative, it will be more like a YMCA, with a praying room. Located two blocks away and out of view from ground zero, its primary purpose is to act as a bridge between faiths. But this has not prevented its opponents from whipping up frenzy.

A few politicians such as New York City Mayor Bloomberg have shown courage in defending the project. But it has become a lightning rod for the ultra-conservatives and the right-wing fundamentalists led by the likes of Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich. It is not that they are ignorant, but that they feel that this is an issue that will help resurrect the outrage that swept the US in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy, so skilfully manipulated by Bush & co to unleash two wars and weaken the very principles that made the US an object of admiration.

Admittedly, Islam had been less understood in the US, even though it has been around for a long time since many of the African slaves transported forcibly to the New World were Muslims. Moreover, with the original settlers having come from Europe, where attachment to the historic misperceptions relating to the Crusades had a strong influence, hostility towards Islam remained a major element.

Sadly, just when it appeared that Muslim immigrants would gain recognition as law-abiding, hardworking and enterprising citizens, 9/11 changed the whole context. It was not only that President Bush's war on terror led to the imprisonment of over 14,000 Muslims, mostly on frivolous charges, but that it also promoted an unprecedented anti-Muslim hysteria meant to perpetuate the myth of Islamo-fascism.

It is truly unfortunate that the Cordoba project has provided an opportunity to the neo-con media abetted by the Anti-Defamation League and the cowardly Democrats to uncork national hysteria to gain short-term advantage by pandering to fears during an election season. The extremes to which they are willing to go is evident from Sarah Palin's claim that the project will be a “stab in the heart” of Americans, while former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich called upon Americans to join him at an anti-mosque rally on Sept 11.

These efforts cannot be dismissed as the actions of a fringe group, as confirmed by a recent Time magazine poll which found that 61 per cent of Americans oppose the project. The poll also found that 43 per cent of Americans hold unfavourable views of Muslims, while 21 per cent were convinced that most Muslims in the US are not patriotic Americans. Further confirmation of this alarming tendency has come in the growing opposition to mosque construction in other American cities, notably Nashville.

These trends have generated fear among many American Muslims. But they are also bad news for President Obama, who despite being a devout Christian is accused of being a closet Muslim. One of his critics, Pam Geller, has regularly promoted the view that Obama is Malcom X's illegitimate son. Others prominent in this campaign are the television and radio host Rush Limbaugh, who mocks 'Imam Obama' and the evangelist Franklin Graham, who observed in a CNN interview: “I think the president's problem is that he was born a Muslim. His father was a Muslim and the seed of Islam is passed through the father.” Graham added: “The teaching of Islam is to hate the Jews, to hate the Christians, to kill them. Their goal is world domination.”

A man of mixed parentage and a perceptive student of history, Obama would know that these extremist views are exactly those that terrorists would wish to associate with the US. But sadly, few other American politicians appear to recognise that the US cannot be spearheading the global war on terror, while acquiescing in a war on Islam.