Shiite? Sunni? Some in US learn who's who.

"When a person from another culture says something, the meaning behind the words may not be the literal translation that an agent might want to jump to," Mr. Slotter says. "There are so many different nuances and aspects [that] to be an effective interviewer ... you're going to need those cultural skills."

Urban police are taking similar steps. About 100 members of the New York Police Department's hostage negotiating team, for instance, earlier this year spent a day learning to foster cooperation by honoring Muslim customs. For example, when entering a home, leave dogs outside and don't step on prayer rugs. In San Jose, Police Chief Rob Davis is a Mormon, but he has in the past fasted each day during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in order to foster understanding and closer ties with Muslims in his city.

Sometimes, the passion for knowledge has proved fleeting. When the Houston Police Department first offered a monthly continuing education course on Muslim culture at a local mosque in 2003, every class was near capacity with about 30 officers in attendance. But the department discontinued the course last year because not enough officers were signing up. The sharp decline in numbers coincided with a department policy shift.

"We used to have classes on city time, but now that you have to go on your own time, the majority of officers don't want to take this class," says Muzaffar Siddiqi, the department's liaison to Muslims. They're taking other courses online because "they can just sit at home and do it."

Some business people are also trying to learn more. Earlier this year, managers at East Cameron Partners, an energy development firm in Houston, studied Islamic finance in order to raise funds in the Middle East for oil and gas exploration. The result was the first-ever US issue of sukuk, an Islamic bond that generates revenue from sales, profits, or leases rather than interest. In September, International Swaps and Derivatives Association in New York began studying Islamic law requirements in order to craft international standards for more cross-cultural deals.

In healthcare, Tampa General Hospital has emphasized Muslim culture in its two-year-old diversity training program, which counts as continuing education for many of the hospital's 5,000 staffers. In March, Muslims will make their fourth presentation – more than any other group – to an expected crowd of about 150.

The education has had immediate on-the-job value for medical staff, according to the Rev. William Baugh, director of pastoral care at Tampa General. They now try to have women physicians visit Muslim female patients "because of the tremendous modesty," he says. And when a patient dies, nurses now accommodate family members who insist on taking the body to wash it.

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