Evangelist who called Islam 'wicked' is ready to bring spiritual and humanitarian aid to Muslims in Iraq.

Franklin Graham, son of the Rev. Billy Graham and one of the nation’s most outspoken critics of Islam, said Wednesday he has relief workers "poised and ready" to roll into Iraq to provide for the population’s post-war physical and spiritual needs.

On Wednesday, Graham was unusually guarded in his comments about Islam, saying only that “when people ask, I let them know I don’t believe in their God. But I respect their right to believe whatever they want to believe.” Two months after September 11, however, he called Islam a “very evil and wicked religion.” Last summer he said Muslims hadn't sufficiently apologized for the terrorist attacks--and he challenged Muslim leaders to offer to help rebuild Lower Manhattan or compensate the families of victims to show they condemn terrorism.

That comment followed a string of remarks about Islam and Muslims, as Graham promoted his book, “The Name.” In it, Graham wrote that "Islam--unlike Christianity--has among its basic teachings a deep intolerance for those who follow other faiths." Then, in an interview with Beliefnet, he reiterated his opinion, saying, "I believe the Qur'an teaches violence, not peace." In an indirect criticism of President Bush, Graham at the time told Beliefnet that after September 11, "there was this hoo-rah around Islam being a peaceful religion--but then you start having suicide bombers, and people start saying, 'Wait a minute, something doesn’t add up here.'"

But Graham is only the most significant leader of a widespread and rapidly growing effort by conservative American Christians to criticize Islam—and attempt to convert its followers. Since 1990, the number of missionaries in Islamic countries has quadrupled. Mission experts estimate they have spoken to or given Christian material to at least 334 million people in that time.