'Muslims upset with US over treatment'

He said he raised the matter with US Secretary of State Colin Powell during talks in Washington.

"I said: 'Mr Secretary, the time will soon come when Muslims will not wish to enter the United States as tourists, the time has come when Muslim students do not wish to come to the United States".

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" 'So are you going to do something about it?' "

He said Powell told him he understood the problem and was striving to resolve it.

Kasuri said he had also raised the issue with Powell previously and that the Secretary of State had brought it to the attention of President George W. Bush.

"I, as a friend, pointed out that, you know, it is humiliating to visit the United States these days."

Kasuri said his government might come under pressure at home to "treat the Americans the way they treat Pakistanis when they land at American airports."

The Pakistan minister was answering a question at a forum where a Muslim US citizen complained about rising anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States.

Kasuri said he had received feedback from Muslim leaders they were upset about the treatment accorded to their citizens visiting the United States.