To fight terror, Montanan builds schools in Asia

On this early morning, though, Mortenson is torn by the thought of leaving his two young children and his wife, Tara Bishop (who grew up in a family of famed Himalayan mountaineers), for another extended trip to the region.

"The long absences from my family are painful," he says, "but when I look into the eyes of children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I see my own children. I want my own kids and their counterparts to live in peace, but that will not happen unless we teach them alternatives to the cycle of terrorism and war."

Initially, Mortenson's benevolence in Pakistan was met with distrust from Islamic clerics who suspected Mortenson might be a spy. But Saeed Abbas Risvi, the senior Islamic Shiite spiritual leader in northern Pakistan, rose to his defense after the outsider delivered on his schoolbuilding promises. Knowing that Mortenson could encounter danger in rural villages, Risvi, now a close friend of Mortenson, contacted the Supreme Council of Ayatollahs in Iran to obtain a rare letter of recommendation for the American.

"In Pakistan and Afghanistan, people don't believe in 30-minute power lunches to do business. Rather, it takes three cups of tea over many months to cultivate a lasting relationship," Mortenson says. "When you have your first cup, you are strangers. After the second cup, you become friends, and after the third, you're regarded as family."

Over a crackling telephone line to Mortenson's office, cleric Risvi says the "American gentle giant" has earned respect because he listens to the desires of local people. Risvi says that despite the violent interpretations of the Taliban, who repressed women, Islam teaches equality among all. "Girls have been the most deprived of basic education in our society. Education is light, and light provides beauty and strength to the people."

Compared to traditional relief organizations that often have a religious bent and a large support staff, Central Asia Institute consists only of Mortenson - who pays himself a modest salary of $39,000 - and one office assistant.

"Putting between $5,000 and $15,000 in [Mortenson's] hands buys you a lot," says Silicon Valley venture capitalist George McCown, who has seen several of Mortenson's 150 community projects. To Mr. McCown, Mortenson's approach of improving young people's lives is the most sensible way to leaven the region. "He's one of the few who has figured out how to promote community development very efficiently ... and ... he's changing negative perceptions of Americans," McCown says.

Even so, Mortenson's philanthropic work has attracted a few critics in this country. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he received several angry letters. "You will pay dearly for being a traitor," wrote one woman in a letter postmarked in Minneapolis. Stated another letter from Denver: "I wish some of our bombs had hit you because you're counter productive to our military efforts in Afghanistan."

Mortenson, however, remains undeterred, though he hopes that a military invasion of Iraq will not fan more antiAmerican sentiment in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"Ignorance breeds hatred," he says before sunrise, trying to phone Afghanistan. "We can spend billions [of dollars] amassing a wall around America, but unless we invest even a small fraction of that amount building bridges of peace and understanding, all our efforts will be in vain."

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