But Ouansafi was not just another American reacting to the enormity of the tragedy. He is also President of the Muslim Association of Hawaii, which is home to about 3,000 Muslims, and his feelings of dismay were quickly followed by a sense of apprehension.

But instead of concentrating on how to protect Honolulu's only mosque--a white clapboard house in a quiet suburb of the city--and keeping a low profile, Ouansafi decided to take a pro-active approach: He recorded a message on the mosque's answering machine in which he offered the Muslim community's condolences for the events. He drafted a press release, condemning the attacks and asking the public not to jump to conclusions about Muslims, and sent it to every media outlet in Hawaii. He started an education campaign to enlighten his fellow Hawaiians about Islam.

"We wanted," he said, "to convey the fact that we are proud Muslims but also proud Americans and that the events of September 11 were un-Islamic, unreligious and inhumane."

It was successful. Within hours of the attacks the mosque's answering machine was jammed with more than 1,350 messages of support. Dozens of Hawaiians poured in to volunteer their help in guarding the mosque at night, a group of students brought leis, an interfaith group came by, and churches, schools and colleges from around the state invited Ouansafi to come and give talks.

Ouansafi says this outpouring of fellowship makes him feel very fortunate. "We've had zero incidents, not even insults in the streets," he said. "And that is a beautiful record."