Commenting a recent poll signaling a majority of Muslims believe US foreign policy aims to divide Islam, Council on American-Islamic Relations Board Chairman Parvez Ahmed tells al-Jazeera’s English-language service that the US’ refusal to engage “democratic regimes” such as the Palestinian government dominated by the Hamas radical Islamist terrorists is one of the reasons for the US’ poor image in the Muslim world.

“Honour” killings, attacks on internet cafes and music shops, deliberately firing missiles on civilians, plotting suicide bombings, vowing to annihilate your neighbors and praying for the death of Americans and Jews are not the hallmarks of a democratic regime, except perhaps in the minds of Hamas’ supporters in America...