KIEFER SUTHERLAND - MUSLIM GROUP UPSET ABOUT 24 TERRORISTS

MUSLIM GROUP UPSET ABOUT 24 TERRORISTS

A group of Muslim activists who challenged 24 bosses over the show's portrayal of Islamic terrorists two seasons ago are attacking the programme again. Officials at the Council on American-Islamic Relations met with producers back in 2005 when the 24 plot revolved around Muslim fundamentalists, and now they're upset again because the new season seems to portray members of their religion in the same shady light. Council spokesman RABIAH AHMED says, "The overwhelming impression you get is fear and hatred for Muslims. "After watching the premiere (on Sunday - 14JAN07), I was afraid to go to the grocery store because I wasn't sure the person next to me would be able to differentiate between fiction and reality." The activists urged the show's bosses to meet with them again, but this time only succeeded in bringing them around a table for a conference call. Following original meetings in 2005, 24 star KIEFER SUTHERLAND appeared in a TV commercial urging viewers not to assume all Muslims were like the terrorists portrayed in his series.