i'm kim lawton, sitting in for bob abernethy. thank you for joining us. >>> this week, the world's more than 1 billion muslims began observing their holy month of ramadan. during the month, muslims are expected to fast every day from dawn to sunset and to offer special prayers and give to the poor. they break their fast with the traditional iftar meal. >>> a new survey out this week says american muslims are very optimistic about their lives in the us. and, according to the gallup organization's middle east center, american muslims' perceptions of their overall well-being increased more in the past three years than those of any other religious group. but circumstances are not as optimistic for muslims in several other parts of the world. >>> there was an international outcry about syria's intensified crackdown this week against anti-government protestors. the u.n. security council condemned what is being called "the ramadan massacre." the u.s.-based muslim public affairs council called on international leaders, especially those i

kim lawton reports. >> drones are increasingly becoming some of the most valuable weapons in america's arsenal. >> this is going to save someone's life one day. >> reporter: unmanned aircraft such as the predator and the reaper can hover over remote areas, and do surveillance for hours, even days. their operators are often in places as far away as nevada or virginia, and the drones can release missiles or bombs with no risk to those operators. experts say within 20 years the vast majority of america's fighting aircraft will likely be pilotless. the use of drones may be strategic, but is it moral? >> if you believe that a society has a duty to reduce unnecessary risk to its combatants, then these systems do that, so that would be actually one moral obligation, and then also the state has an obligation t effectively and efficiently defend its citizens, and these systems are effective and efficient, too. >> to accept killing far from the situation of battlefields where there is an understanding of necessity is really ethically troubling for many of us. >> america's use of remotely-piloted