As the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedy approaches, Wayne Bell, publisher of Really Big Coloring Books, Inc. of Clayton, Missouri, US, has released what he calls a “memorial tribute” coloring book. “We shall never forget: The kids’ book of freedom,” is being described by Bell as a “graphic coloring novel on the events of Sept. 11, 2001.” According to ABC 7 News in Chicago, the coloring book contains the phrase “radical Islamic Muslim extremists,” at least 10 times.

Communications Coordinator Amina Sharif says she was very offended by the sometimes subtle and sometimes overt anti-Muslim imagery displayed in the book, “it’s dangerous to put it in the hands of children,” she says, “this book gives them the false impression that Muslims are terrorists or paranoid conspiracy theorists.”

As many Americans gear up to mark the tenth anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, one Chicago-based Muslim group warns people should be careful not to give all Muslims a bad rap for the attacks. In the days following 9/11 there were reports across the U.S. of violence toward Muslim-Americans. The group American-Islamic Relations hopes the public has learned more about the Islamic faith’s message of peace since that time.

Amina Sharif, communications director for the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the Chicago Tribune that the book fails to separate extremist radicals from the majority of Muslims.

“I think it’s very clear that the book has an agenda and is anti-Muslim,” Amina Shariff, CAIR Chicago, said.

“If they are trying to imply subliminally some kind of Christian-Muslim conflict here, I think that that is very dangerous and completely inappropriate.”

The book allows children to color scenes like Navy SEALs raiding the Bin Laden’s compound, Osama bin Laden using a veiled woman as a human shield, and the World Trade Center Towers burning. The Chicago communications director of CAIR told the Tribune that the book shows 9/11 and its aftermath “in a ‘slanted’ manner,” painting Muslims in broad strokes and failing to distinguish extremist radicals from the majority of Muslims.

Amina Sharif, communications director for the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the book depicts the events of 9/11 and the aftermath in a “slanted” manner, painting Muslims in broad strokes and failing to distinguish extremist radicals from the majority of Muslims.

“It’s hateful, inflammatory and completely inappropriate for children or anyone for that matter,” Sharif said.

“Islam teaches us that we are not merely physical beings but spiritual beings as well. But while most people acknowledge the need to nurture our bodies through sustenance and exercise, we tend to neglect the same for our souls,” writes Ahmed Rehab in the Chicago Tribune.

Christina Abraham, civil rights director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, added that these actions would speed up the process of overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad and would “lessen the human and economic costs of our struggle”.

Today in Cairo, frustrated activists plan to stage another mass protest to accelerate the pace of government reform. In a recent visit to Cairo, Ahmed Rehab, director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and frequent Worldview contributor, met with high-ranking officials and activists to discuss the way forward. He tells Jerome what he thinks the Egyptian people should demand now.