LOS ANGELES (AP) Billboards designed to improve Islam's image in the wake of Sept. 11 are going up along California highways.
Three billboards sponsored by regional chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, show seven smiling Muslim men and women of varying age and ethnicity with the message: "Even a smile is Charity a message from your Muslim neighbor."
The campaign is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation by Muslims, a spokesman said.
"There have been some people who have damaged the image of Islam," said CAIR executive Hussam Ayloush, and "our goal is to simply correct that image."