Negative press reports about Muslims and Islam increased dramatically following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, said the Turkish head of the center, Faruk Sen.

The survey was based on parliamentary protocols and media reports between 2000 and 2004, as well as interviews with Germany-based Muslims.

Debates in the German parliament after 9/11 falsely linked Islam with terrorism, while there were minimum efforts to promote religious tolerance, the study said.

However, the survey showed little evidence of a total rejection of Islam among Germans or the isolation of the Muslim community.

Urging the German public to show more tolerance towards Islam, Sen stressed that German politicians should not "regard Islam as a security problem in Germany and brand it with the stamp of terrorism."

About 3.2 million Muslims live in Germany out of a total population of 82 million. Most German Muslims come from Turkey, Morocco and Tunisia.

There are more than 2,300 mosques and Islamic centers throughout Germany.

Media bias against Muslims increased all over the world following the Sept. 11, 2001 attack. Some analysts believe that rising Islamophobia emerged from the policies of many Western governments who want to protect their interests in the Middle East through tarnishing Muslims' image to justify their political and military interference in Arab and ME nations.

Although the rise in Islamophobia affected Muslims' efforts to integrate in Western societies, many Muslims succeeded in establishing themselves in the West, and played a key role in their countries' social and political life.

In Germany, Muslims have been trying to prove that they're an integral part of the German society, and have organized several events to educate the German public about their religion.

Every Muslim is obliged to educate followers of other religions about Islam because, unfortunately, many non-Muslims have negative views of the noble religion, wrongfully associating it with violence.

Contrary to what they believe, the Islamic religion promotes peace and justice. In fact, the word "Islam" itself, which means "surrender or submit" to Allah (SWT) in Arabic, is originally derived from the world "Selm", or peace. Thus, it's no wonder that the traditional Islamic greeting is "As-Salamu 'alaikum," or "peace be with you."