- Dr Martin Luther King, Letter from the Birmingham Jail

Who does not know Rev. Dr Mar- tin Luther King Jr.? The charis matic civil rights leader fiercely, yet nonviolently, battled the rising tide of racism and inequality in America during the 50s and the 60s, some 180 years after the country was founded on such noble principles as "all men are created equal." He organized meetings, marches, and staged protests to wake America up to the institutionalized racism prevalent at the time.

Dr King courageously assisted with the Montgomery bus boycott, in the aftermath of Rosa Parks' arrest when she did not give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery bus in 1955. The boycott lasted a little over a year.Dr King, among other historic accomplishments, also led the approximately 300,000-person march on Washington in 1963 where he delivered the memorable address, "I Have a Dream." He was more than a visionary.

He devoted years of his life ensuring that his dreams materialized into reality. His legacy is evident today as we see the socio-political advancements our nation has made in a mere 50 years since the onset of the civil rights movement. It was the dreams of Dr King and his consistent efforts that helped bring to fruition the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. However, he paid a heavy price in the process. During the civil rights movement, his house was bombed. He was branded a communist and regularly placed under surveillance by the government. And, he lived in a climate where anti-black rhetoric ran rampant.

Alabama Governor George Wallace, in his first inaugural speech given the same year Dr King and others marched on Washington, said, "…In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."Dr King ultimately paid for the cause of civil rights with his life, taking a bullet in 1968.

He led the way in uniting the nation and brought about the beginning of the solidarity of races, equality, and protection of civil rights that America now prides herself on. His struggles were not in vain, but sadly, many of the injustices existent in his time continue to plague our nation today. Since the devastating events of 9/11, a new group - American Muslims - has increasingly faced the onslaught of discrimination, harassment, bigotry and prejudice across America. Lack of awareness of Muslims and Islam has given way to fear and hate.

Mosque vandalisms, discrimination in schools and at workplaces, and hateful slurs aimed at Muslims, are not uncommon. At a daycare center run by an Egyptian-American in Weldon Spring, Missouri, vandals left dog feces at the front door, damaged a fence and ignited fires on the front porch. Leaflets, including one from a white supremacist group National Alliance, left on the premises stated, "Go back to your…country." From 2001 to 2006, the FBI reported 1,401 anti-Islamic hate crime offenses.

Even the presidential hopefuls are not immune from anti-Muslim bigotry.Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani's former campaign manager in New Hampshire, John Deady, remarked that he did not see a difference between good Muslims and bad Muslims. "We need to keep the feet to the fire and keep pressing these people [Muslims] until we defeat or chase them back to their caves or in other words get rid of them," he said. Although Deady subsequently resigned, Guiliani has yet to repudiate those hateful remarks. Another member of Guiliani's campaign, New York Congressman Peter King said, "Unfortunately, we have too many mosques in the country…

"Those running for the nation's highest office have traded the mission of serving Americans for the mission of dividing Americans and capitalizing on fear to score cheap political victories. In the post-9/11 climate, Americans are only too willing to give up the same civil rights that a pioneer like Dr King fought for, all in the name of national security. We must remember that the true test of a nation's values occurs during a crisis.

This year, let us vow not to casually celebrate Dr King's birthday, but instead, strive to honor his legacy by stepping up efforts for the protection of civil rights of all Americans. (Affad Shaikh is the civil rights coordinator and Maryam Ali is the media intern at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Greater Los Angeles Area office)