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May 27, 2010

Islam target of NYC bus advertising campaign

The questions on the ads aren't subtle: Leaving Islam? Fatwa on your head? Is your family threatening you?

A conservative activist and the organizations she leads have paid several thousand dollars for the ads to run on at least 30 New York City buses for a month, the Associated Press reports. The ads point to a website called RefugefromIslam.com, which offers information to those wishing to leave Islam, but some Muslims are calling the ads a smoke screen for an anti-Muslim agenda.

Pamela Geller, who leads an organization called Stop Islamization of America, said the ads were meant to help provide resources for Muslims who are fearful of leaving the faith.

"It's not offensive to Muslims, it's religious freedom," she said. "It's not targeted at practicing Muslims. It doesn't say 'leave,' it says 'leaving' with a question mark."

Geller said the ad buy cost about $8,000, contributed by the readers of her blog, Atlas Shrugs, and other websites. Similar ads have run on buses in Miami, and she said ad buys were planned for other cities.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said Geller's ad was reviewed and did not violate the agency's guidelines.

"The religion in question would not change the determination that the language in the ad does not violate guidelines," MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said Wednesday.

All ads are screened, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said. Most are reviewed by the company that handles the MTA's advertising opportunities, but some are sent to the MTA for ultimate approval.

The agency had received no complaints since the ads went up on May 14, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said. The 30 or so buses with the ads pass through all five boroughs of the city.

Faiza Ali, of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the ads were based on a false premise that people face coercion to remain with Islam. She said Muslims believe faith that is forced is not true belief.

"Geller is free to say what she likes just as concerned community members are free to criticize her motives," Ali said.

Geller has a history of speaking out against Muslims, and the ads are "a smoke screen to advance her long-standing history of anti-Muslim bigotry," Ali said.

Geller said she had no problem with Muslims, but was working to "maintain the separation of mosque and state." She is also among those speaking out against the building of a mosque and cultural center near ground zero.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 5:00 AM | | Comments (21)
        

Comments

Its funny how people jump on board in criticizing Christians to say that they are brainwashed, etc but these same people often hold back in saying that Muslims or Hindus may have been brainwashed. Why is this? Its the same thing that I have experienced before in employment. If I am a nice guy then I am quicker to be criticized. A fellow employee who threatens people with retaliation and follows people around to get back at them gets less criticism. I am so glad I am the nice guy, and that is influenced by my belief in Christ. I dont worry about criticism when I know that every knee will bow to Him in the end. Other religions can be more like the guy who attempts retaliation. If Christians do this, they are the oddballs who are not following God's word. If Muslims do it, they want to justify it as a command from God. I wonder if the guy who follows people around feels that way?

Right you are Clay!! Christians are always the nice guys. People misunderstand what the Crusades were about, they were loving the heathens. When the Conquistadors helped people get baptised in large groups, can anyone not say that was an act of charity? I have noticed you are a very insightful guy, Clay. But don't you agree that if every knee will bow to Him in the end, our greatest apostolate for conversion is prayer? Cloistered sisters who pray are helping conversions more than anyone. That is why I wrote how terrible it is that some Cistercian nuns are leaving their charism which they used to support by raising chickens. Now they are running a massage spa, with mystical Chinese alchemical nonsense about Chi Kung. What is next a Zen vegetarian restaurant! As I opined the nuns should have kept with the chickens, Chicken is great! I really love chicken.

Tom, The American Papussed

Believing that you are being followed or watched is something to be concerned about Clay. Of course it may be that you are just so incredibly cute that the man can't resist you. There is, I must admit, a certain allure to that country boy naivete of yours.

I am so glad you are the nice guy too.

I wish everybody was nice. God bless.

Clay, let me give you some advice that Granny used to give to me and Ellie Mae. She would say "Youngins, you are going to meet some strange folks in Beverly Hills. When we lived in the mountains among our own folk, I only worried about you Ellie. But here in the Hills of Beverly there are strange ones gonna be interested in you Jethro. I want you to hold this in your mind. If it is just one crazy person, it is probably real. But if ya' get to thinkin that everybody is looking at ya' out by the cement pond., then you come to me for a remedy. I gotta cure made with skunk gizzards that can help with that feelin." So that's Granny's good advice. Also, I agree Clay , it is good to be nice. I wish everyone was nice too. God Bless you.

The only reason the advertisement is needed is only because leaving the Islam is like leaving the Mafia - the result is death, as prescribed in the Hadiths! It is a good thing that a support group is available for ex-Muslims often too afraid to openly admit they have left the faith.

I'd like to jump on that bandwagon too. Let's all kiss and make up.

I think the ad should have read: Feel sane, be free--chuck religion--leave it on the bus or under the bus and walk away -- the ad should be put up there for free as a public service to religion-mad- torpid humanity.
Ravensfan Anon

check here all the faith:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th8PSKzaAOc&feature=related

also here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpPAttWvv1s

Now If someone put anti-christian ads on a bus they would be screaming to anyone who would listen that is what is always funny with all religions the my god is better then your god attitude clearly shows why most religions are false.

kwolf443 - Nice irrelevant conclusion. How exactly do the actions of a small vocal minority prove religion false?

Because if they were true , they would not be so threaten and frail all the time , If something is true then what could threaten it ? Religion must reinforced after being reinforced after being reinforced ect ect. prove me wrong and say it's not so .

kwolf443 What you seem to want to ignore is the frailties are human ones. I don't need to prove anything since all you've done is look at the actions of indvisduals and associate it with an idea. Why exactly do I need to prove anything? You are the one making the logivcal fallacies. Add to that your latest statement "Religion must reinforced after being reinforced after being reinforced ect ect" for which you provided no support and what we get is an opinion not a fact. Prove your opinion right if you can.

Prove my opinion I am glad we can agree that it is any opinion , and proving it is too easy let's start with being told over and over again about, not to mention the rites and rituals that go along with it , someone stopping you on the street, knocking on your door, sending you fliers thur the mail, calling you on the phone, one reinforcement after another but you say that it does not need to be reinforced go one day without telling one single person that god is real , I bet you could not do that at all , you would be breaking all of the rules in doing so,No matter how ignoring most religious folks are they never seem to get that part , If god is real why would you need to be told that , should you not already know that being as he or she is suppose to have created as right , If I was never presented a religious point of view my entire life would I know that god is real ? or would someone have to tell me?, How is that not being reinforced after being reinforced ?

First that someone repeats something doesn’t have anything to do with it’s truth or falsehood. I can’t speak for anyone else but I can’t remember the last time anyone stopped me on the street, sent me a flier or called me. What you fail to do is explain why people repeating something makes it false. It sounds much more like wishful thinking on your part. People are being told over and over about global warming, evolution, and other topics as well. Does that reinforcement mean they are false as well? At the end of the day something be repeated or if you like reinforced has no bearing on it being real or not. You can tap dance around that all you like, but at the end of the day you can’t prove any connection exists between truth and reinforcement. If you were never presented or taught about the laws of physics they would still be true. You just wouldn’t know about them. The only thing you’ve proven is you can blow a lot of smoke and draw illogical conclusions.

Talking about tap dancing around an issue , first physics can be proven , gods can not be proven , I know if I touch a hot pan with my hand I'll get burned and no one would have to tell me that , you on the other hand who has never touch any gods physically can not say that you know he or she is real.

kwolf443 - Rather than admit your orginal premise wromg now you want to change the topic to proof of God. I don't believe I ever commented on that. I asked about this statement

" that is what is always funny with all religions the my god is better then your god attitude clearly shows why most religions are false."

specifically I asked you how the actions of a small vocal minority prove religion false? How does the fact that people are told of something over and over have anything to do with it being true.

Let's stay on topic shall we. Either explain how that orginal comment isn't a logical fallacy as I alleged.

Waht did you miss something I think I made my point just as clear as I could , and I did not add anything other then making my point , maybe you were the one who did not get it.

kwolf443 - Nice try but you still haven't proven how you proved that quote. Where exactly did I ever suggest anything about God? The question was how does the fact that something has to be reinforces as you put have anything to do with its truth or falsehood?

Since you want to change the question I'll indulge you a bit. You seem to want to limit physics to what one can see, feel, smell or hear. I'm sure someone had to clue you in or you had to read it somewhere. on the dangers of breathing in carbon monoxide. Not all physics are as simple as you hot pan analogy. There are many arguments that could be made for God, however, having run into the kind of closed mindedness you possess it is futile. All I can say is someday you will get that physical proof you seek. Only unlike the hot pan you will get burned.

Wow when all else fails threaten with hell and fire now that is typical of a religious head case who can't prove their point to the nonbeliever , how sad you are with nothing but condemation because you can't prove your gods are real , your nothing more then a child holding his or her breath to get their way, this is why nonbeliever's have the advantage over the believer because we have no condemation for the world but you do. I made my point to you serveral time and all you can do is to threaten with hell and fire how sad are you ?

kwolf443 - I'm making no threats. Simply pointing out a something you don’t wish to consider. At the end of the day your choice, to believe or not has no effect on me. The issue was always a flawed conclusion you made. I'm still waiting for you to explain how your original conclusion that “the my god is better then your god attitude clearly shows why most religions are false” isn’t an irrelevant one. So far you done about everything except that or admit you can’t. I never set out to prove anything. The fact that your original statement is a logical fallacy doesn’t prove God exists anymore than the inability to prove to your satisfaction God exists means God does not exist.

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About Matthew Hay Brown
Matthew Hay Brown writes and blogs about faith and values in public and private life for The Baltimore Sun. A former Washington correspondent for the newspaper, he has long written about the intersection of religion and politics. He has reported from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, traveling most recently to Syria and Jordan to write about the Iraqi refugee crisis.
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