One of the most interesting things about American Muslims appears to be their sports loyalties.

That's what many have discussed in filming personal messages for an online campaign aimed at countering anti-Muslim rhetoric in the wake of controversy over a proposed Islamic center in New York City and mosque protests elsewhere. Several dozen videos have been posted so far.

The videos, which American Muslims are invited to record and upload onto the campaign's website, mostly follow a script: The speakers introduce themselves, give an "interesting fact" about themselves and then launch into a prewritten message about Islam's teachings. They say Muslims do not want to impose their religion on others and should not be feared.

The grassroots campaign, called My Faith My Voice, grew out of conversations among a number of Muslim professionals about what they felt was a recent rise in anti-Muslim sentiment.

The campaign was launched last week at a news conference in Washington, D.C., with the unveiling of a public service announcement. The 1-minute video features Muslims of various ethnicities, ages and occupations, including a man wearing a Philadelphia Phillies T-shirt.

Those behind the campaign, which they say is not associated with any organization, are relying heavily on social media to encourage American Muslims to create the short videos about themselves and their faith. They are also raising money to turn the videos into TV ads to reach an audience beyond those visiting the website, www.myfaithmyvoice.com.

The effort echoes previous campaigns geared toward showing Muslims as regular Americans and making them easier to relate to. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based civil rights group, ran a yearlong print ad campaign in 2003 titled Islam in America, and this week announced public service announcements featuring Muslims who were among the first responders on 9-11.

The My Faith My Voice videos are "a chance to speak to Americans without a filter," said Rabiah Ahmed, 33, who runs a public relations firm in Northern Virginia on the outskirts of Washington and is one of the project members. "There's so many things that we do that people can relate to."