3000, your weekly check on the global issues that affect us all. and here's what's coming up in today's program -- home truths -- how muslim americans experience discrimination in their own country. power struggle -- a project helps thai industry cut back on energy consumption. and fragile balance -- a foundation helps lions and small farmers in namibia co-exist. the united states constitution guarantees freedom of religion and bans discrimination on the basis of faith or ethnicity.

america is rightly proud of its civic rights provisions. but these seem harder to uphold in a climate of fear of terrorism. since 09/11 america's muslim community has constantly been on the defensive. a whole industry of self- declared terrorism experts has sprung up, reinforcing suspicion, often based on shaky research. but one thing is certain muslims are an integral part of american society. three million american citizens are muslims and their number is growing. we meet an american who was part of political washington. suhail khan tells us how hard it is to be an ordinary american and an ordinary muslim at the same time. >> every friday noon, suhail khan goes to the capitol building in washington d.c. to pray.

>> it's very important, something very central to my life and to the lives of many in america including for muslim americans. and it's so gratifying that as muslim americans we are able to come and pray here on a weekly basis in our us capital to really exercise our rights as full-fledged americans. >> an american citizen by birth, khan proposed the friday prayers in the capitol in the late 1990s, when he was a staffer for the republican party. now, some 80 muslims come to pray in a capitol conference room. most work for representatives. in his sermon, the imam describes america as a "shining city upon a hill," an image from the bible that presidents ronald reagan and john f. kennedy also used. later, khan worked for the george w. bush administration. like all white house staffers, he had to obtain a top-level security clearance and swear his loyalty to the constitution.

>> just days after 9/11, there was a report on fox news that a muslim man in the white house was tied to al qaeda. and of course when i first heard that story i began to and now it seems funny wonder who that could be? and i thought i knew all the staff in the white house, and i was wondering who is this mysterious person who has ties to al-khaida. and of course i soon learnt they were referring to me. >> the bush administration re- affirmed its support for khan and said he had no contacts to extremists. fox news got its facts wrong. fox withdrew the story, but other media outlets picked it up. some have pursued it and khan to this day. >> they don't want muslims to have any political voice in this country. so again somebody like myself serving in government, serving in sensitive positions in the bush administration, they saw as a very strong target because

they didn't want someone like me to be there. >> 9/11 has forced khan to prove again and again that he's both a patriotic american and a muslim. only about a third of americans believe muslims can be trusted. the devastating effect the terrorist attacks had on american society was intensified by the television images of it: shocking scenes and events... >> which could show in real time buildings collapsing, people being killed. and i think that set a certain trauma off in this country. still we hadn't quite reached beyond. that trauma is one of well. we will never let it happen again. >> spreading fear and hatred of muslims can be big business in the us, as a study by the center for american progress shows. it asserts that at least seven foundations disbursed 42 mmillion dollars to experts, journalists and evangelical preachers who spread fear of muslims.

>> i think there is an industry here in the united states that is trying to create the perception that all muslims are suspicious, that we should target all of them because they want to engage in a sharia- take-over of the united states, that they are all posing a security threat. >> but the study indicates that demonizing muslims in general only ends up compromising security. >> we need the assistance of the muslim community to combat the rational threat that exists, the small amount of terrorists that may live within the muslim community. uslim help. >> most muslims who carried out attacks in the past few years were acting alone -- such as the gunman who killed 13 eople at fort hood texas in november, 2009. hundreds of new yorkers narrowly escaped an attack in may 2010.

many americans eye mosques run by radical clerics with suspicion. one who's on the security agencies' radar is imam musa. he preaches conspiracy theories but has not broken the law in doing so. >> 9/11 was not done by muslims, misguided arabs or anybody. no, the muslims didn't do it. and 90% of the muslims know that. they don't believe it. we don't believe it at all. >> the imam runs a private school in the mosque's basement. the children are taught all subjects, not just religion. private schools like this one are legal in the united states. there are more than 3 million muslims in the u.s. -- nearly 1% of the population -- and the vast majority want nothing to do with the radical mosques or their clergy. they have mostly the same dreams and ambitions as their fellow citizens: success, prosperity and social standing. after george w. bush left office, khan, now age 42, went

to work for the private sector, representing a software corporation. >> other young muslim americans who're thinking about public service -- thinking about serving their country, were having second doubts and thoughts about it: 'why should i do that? maybe i should just go into the private sector, because there are those people out there who might start questioning my loyalty, questioning my patriotism. >> he may well be expressing his own doubts and thoughts, but would khan ever work for the american government again? >> it would be an honor. i could never say no if those asked me to serve my country. so absolutely if the opportunity came i would accept. >> khan's loyalty belongs to his country but to his faith, as well. >> stopping climate change is not a matter of faith. it's a question of survival, and for some countries it's a more urgent one than others.

thailand is one of the asian economies that have driven the region's industrial rise in the age of globalization. the thai capital bangkok is the country's political and industrial heartland. here energy demand is booming as more and more companies set up shop. so far, most of the country relies on fossil fuels. that's why carbon emissions have more than tripled since the early nineties. a thai-german project is trying to cut back the demand-side of the equation. supported by the international climate initiative, they're looking at ways to conserve power in energy intensive industries. a drive for innovation that helps both, the companies and our climate. >> it's hot in bangkok and even hotter in the glass union. this family business keeps its obsolete glass presses going round the clock.

they consume vast quantities of gas, oil and electricity. chai chan navignivate proudly shows off his new hydraulic press. he says it costs a lot of money, but it only uses about half as much energy. and it produces better and faster. chai chan monitors the operation daily. he checks the insulation on the glass tanks. the tanks have to be heated continuously to keep the glass inside molten. chai chan says the boiler consumes less energy now that it's been coated with thick styrofoam. it's too hot even for chai chan. he escapes to the air conditioned control room for the interview. >> we check the consumption of diesel fuel, gas and

electricity and compare the levels with the period before the new energy-saving steps were introduced. we've done that for about a year now. and afterwards, we did, in fact, realize that the new adjustments can save an enormous amount of energy. >> many small steps taken together can amount to a great leap. glass union made about forty changes. this is one of five pilot projects. points where energy could be saved were identified and workers informed and trained. the end result was an annual reduction of about 400 tons of climate-altering c-o-2. >> improving the factory's energy efficiency means at the same time improving the company's environmental record. if i can reduce or elminate the harmful nitrous and sulphurous gases from the combustion process in the glass tank, i also decrease the harmful

helps the invironment. >> bangkok is a meglopolis and thailand's biggest industrial center. industry consumes about a third of the total energy needs of this city of 12 mmillion. the electricity is generated almost entirely from fossil fuels. decades of this practice seem to have altered the region's climate. the heavy monsoon rains pose a direct threat to bangkok, which lies just above sea level. last summer, the thai capital was devastated by floods. public and economic life ground to a halt. the thai government is promoting development of low-emissions industries, and it's turning to germany for technical expertise and cooperation.

thailand's ministry of industry says the country's enterprises need local energy consultants. many businesses simply don't want to deal with such changes, so more has to be done to inform them. >> more and more industrial facilities have been appearing in this country over the past 30 to 40 years. now we have nearly 100 thousand small and medium-sized enterprises that aren't especially progressive in matters of technology and environmental consciousness. that's why cooperation is so important. it helps create more awareness of energy and the environment among the thais. >> 80 kilometers north, many small enterprises have settled here on the outskirts of

bangkok. the seree kam chang aluminum foundry would like to make its production more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly at the same time. regular checks of the furnaces show that it's possible to reduce the power and still keep the temperature inside the smelter constant. 38-year-old bucha sapcharoen offers workshops as part of the efficiency program. he's one of more than a hundred local energy consultants who've been specially trained for the project. bucha is indispensible to thailand's climate initiative. he and the other energy consultants explain the benefits of saving energy and resources. >> sometimes, it's quite simple: i tell people just to turn the

computer and the lights off when they leave the office. that helps to save energy. and i tell the workers on the floor to be careful to apply the energy-saving measures in the production process as thoroughly as they can. >> the german project manager drops by in the afternoon. the production engineer shows him around the shop, explaining where and how they've already cut back power consumption. the cutting torch is not only faster than the cutting disc -- it also creates less waste. the company director adds that energy costs have been cut by 30 percent. >> in the three years of the project's duration, we've already been able to save more than one thousand tons of c-o- 2, and we've had only a pilot facility for each of the five sectors where we've been able to demonstrate this. that's a very good result. and the investment funds haven't all been used up yet, so more significant c-o-2 reduction measures are in the

planning in the foreseeable future. >> this is the aluminum foundry's finished product -- buddhas for the domestic market. they can go in the living room or the garden. they're just as nice and shiny as before, but they've been made with a third less energy. the golden buddha is a joy to body, soul and thailand's climate. and now we'd like to tickle your taste buds. when we send our reporters out we often ask them to bring back the recipes for no-fuss foods they come across around the world. this week we look into a bulgarian snack shop and discover ba-nitza -- a must eat around new year's but also a popular snack on the go. and here's what it's all about:

>> sofia in winter. this year, the bulgarian capital experienced record low temperatures. in this kind of weather, a hot snack hits the spot -- something with real bulgarian cheese. the pastry is called banitza, a mainstay of bulgarian cuisine since the middle ages. it's a snack for the masses. it's a simple and thrifty pastry, usually filled with sheep's milk cheese. the very thin, puff-pastry dough is made of just flour, salt and water. the secret is the right proportions with the right preparation. it can be thrown out as thin as paper and a good two meters long.

now comes the sheep's milk cheese. milena is an expert banitza maker. she can tell in her own words how to do it best. >> with enthusiasm and lots of love. you have to really love it and have fun for the banitza to turn out really delicious. i love my job, even though it's hard. these are 12 kilos of flour and dough. sometimes my hands hurt, sometimes the small of my back hurts. >> the less patient can buy the dough in ready-to-bake leaves. and a variety of fillings besides the traditional cheese are now available -- leek, mushroom, ham, and spinach.

now the pastry has to compete with an onslaught of western fast-food chains. >> no matter what new things appear on the market, the combinations with our world- famous cheese is unique. nothing tastes better. >> one piece of pastry costs the equivalent of one euro, and it's quite filling. and there's more than enough for everyone in sofia. >> i love banitza. it's so oily and tasty. you can get banitza on every corner. whenever i'm hungry, i can always grab one. >> it's time for us to start an international fast-food chain with bulgarian foods.

>> the banitza has yet to make the leap outside the borders of bulgaria. but somewhere in sofia the first fast-food banitza chains may already be in the planning. for lions and leopards in namibia, fast food includes calves and goats. a dangerous preference that creates even more enemies than the trophy hunters and poachers already after them. local farmers have been targeting these threatened species in a bid to protect their livestock and their livelihoods. in the north of the country, on the southern tip of the etosha national park a group of conservationists is trying to find a more peaceful solution. they are literally standing between lions and farmers and have come up with a way to separate the two sides. the remains of a stray calf,

taken by marauding lions. at auction, it would have been worth roughly 450 euros. >> its not the first time. two weeks ago, let me say 3 weeks ago, the lions came again and killed four cattle, on that side. >> 39-year-old solomon christian is a small-scale farmer with just 34 animals. losing five of them in the space of a few weeks is unaffordable. to protect his animals, hes laying a trap for the lions. across southern africa, traps like these claim the lives of dozens of lions every year. and this is where the lions cross onto farmland. the broken fence of a neighbouring game reserve. the namibian authorities should repair it. but if at all, its the farmers themselves who do so. and committed conservation

groups, such as africat north, a foundation dedicated to preserving the namibian lion. 51-year-old namibian tammy hoth is the head of africat north, shes on the frontline of a perennial conflict, between farmers trying to protect their livestock, and local lions roaming their traditional territory. namibias etosha national park has around 400 wild lions. they generate millions in tourism revenue. as the top predator, theyre vital to the delicately- balanced eco-system. but in recent decades, theyve been trapped, poisoned or shot. experts estimate their numbers have been halved in the last 50 years. >> obviously, we want to protect and conserve the lions, but on the other hand we need to find solutions for this conflict. and the farmer has a problem, he has a real problem because this fence is not being maintained, nobody's really sure whose responsibility it is.

there's no one in a position to really find a solution for these issues except ourselves. >> in recent years, africat has upgraded so-called "hot spots" along etoshas southern fence, using spare tires for instance to allow smaller animals to get through. while stopping the lions. these improvements have dramatically reduced livestock losses. but the fence is 830 kilometers long. by the time, youve repaired one hole, the next has opened. >> its a warthog track. very fresh in fact, since the last rain. and it's moving, it looks like it came in from itosha and moved onto farmland and has returned already. which means it originally dug the hole in the itosha fence and is obviously moving backwards and forwards for water or grazing and creates the hole

which is an invitation for predators to move from the park onto farmland. >> this is why africat also concentrates on livestock protection methods. hoth works closely with local farmers such as 51-year-old jeremias urib. once a farmer herself, she knows that domestic livestock are easy prey for lions. africat is currently helping urib and his community to build what namibians call a "kraal" a holding pen. putting your animals in one of these overnight - when the lions tend to hunt - is crucial. >> this is the eighth kraal that we've built within a year and a half. and the kraals that we've built today, when the farmers have put the animals inside these kraals, we've had no losses. it's when the animals are grazing outside the kraals at night, that's when obviously the damage is done. >> jeremias and his wife maria also have their own "kraal." but its fence was too low.

in just one traumatic night two years ago they lost 47 goats. >> the lions came from over there. they jumped over the fence here, killed all the goats and dragged some out to eat them outside. >> it was 4 o'clock in the morning. we made a fire. my husband fired two shots in the air, and the lions ran away. it was a terrible day, i shed a lot of tears for my goats. >> since then, jeremias and maria have rebuilt their herd. africat helped them improve the fence. theyve suffered no more livestock losses. >> if we are to make any difference to the human- wildlife conflict situation, it's the people on the ground

that have to be convinced of, number one the value of the wildlife, but obviously their livestock have to be protected. >> people must take care of their livestock and lock them up in the pens at night. that's the only way we can deal with this problem. as far as my family is concerned, we can live with the predators. >> for tammy hoth, a small victory in her long struggle to convince farmers they can co- exist with predators. and that's all for global 3000 today. if you missed part of the show don't forget you can catch up with our reports online at dw.de/english/global3000. thanks for watching and we hope you'll tune in again the same time next week. until then, from myself and all of the crew here in berlin all the best and bye bye! captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--