Islamic rights advocates say there’s been a rise in the number of threats directed at local Muslims. And some of these threats are being delivered right to their doors. CBS 2’s Mike Puccinelli reports.

When Ahmed Rehab walks up to his suburban home these days it’s with a new sense of awareness. That’s because of what he found waiting for him in his mailbox just a few days ago, a postmarked typewritten hate-filled letter complete with a death threat.

The core of the problem is that Muslims are seen as a Monolith by the media and so when one Muslim commits and act of terror or error, all Muslims are brought to bear for that Act.

Pundits often portray Islam as a crazy, murderous cult. Because they rely on the public’s ignorance of Islamic history, culture and contemporary affairs, they do not have to be bothered about their simpleton views being irreconcilable with 1,400 years of solid civilization by Muslims from China to Spain, or with the fact that 7 million American Muslims live among their neighbors in this country as proud, upright citizens.

According to the police, Professor Gates greeted the cops with a “belligerent” attitude, refusing to show them identification when asked, and refusing to step outside when asked. He was angry, rude and offensive. He eventually showed them his Harvard ID and eventually stepped outside where he was arrested for disorderly conduct and taken to the Cambridge police station. Professor Gates contends that while he was testy, he did show them two pieces of ID when asked: his Harvard ID and his driver’s license. He claims that the cops had it in for him, that he was a victim of racial profiling.

Ahmed Rehab asks 2008 Presidential candidate John Edwards a question on stage at the Heartland Presidential Forums before an audience of 5,000. [Video]