Public transportation ads: to hate or not to hate? - updated 11/6/12
Sheila Musaji
Posted Nov 6, 2012 •Permalink • Printer-Friendly VersionPublic transportation ads: to hate or not to hate?
by Sheila Musaji
On TAM, we have published a number of articles on the current controversy over a series of ads being published in public spaces across the country by the hate groups AFDI/SIOA. These articles include many sources and references regarding discussion of different aspects of this controversy. Sadly, it seems that there is no end in sight to this war of words:
- Pamela Geller: A Tale of Two Bus Ads
- A Tale of Three Bigoted Ads
- AFDI/SIOA Bus Ads Inspired by Ayn Rand’s Racist Views of Arabs and Muslims?
- Pamela Geller & Robert Spencer announce new “Islamorealism” anti-Islam ad
- 17,000+ “Islamic terrorist” attacks exist only in fevered Islamophobic brains
- The origins of the term “Islamophobia”
- Bus Ads: Of Savages and Idiots
- 17,000+ “Islamic terrorist” attacks exist only in fevered Islamophobic brains
- Freedom of speech does not include freedom from condemnation of that speech
- Pamela Geller Does Not Understand Freedom of Speech
- American Muslims and Arabs respond to the ads.
- All extremists are “savages” and “civilized men” need to counter the hate
- How Muslims understand the term “jihad”
- Is vandalism an appropriate free speech response to hate speech? .
- The legal battle over AFDI/SIOA Anti-Muslim Ads
- American Jews Are Speaking Out Against Anti-Muslim Ads
- AFDI/SIOA Roll Out 9 More Anti-Muslim Ads
- Americans support tolerance and reject hate about the ads being placed by Rabbis for Human Rights, Sojourners, and United Methodist Women.
- Could a boycott of public transport carrying AFDI/SIOA ads be effective?
- Rep. Mike Honda Has Been There for American Muslims, We Need to Stand With Him
- 127-Member Coalition Asks DC Transit to Support Anti-Hate Efforts in Wake of ‘Savage’ Ad
- Interfaith Alliance and the Religious Freedom Education Project of the First Amendment Center Issue What is the truth about American Muslims?: Questions and Answers
- MPAC to Launch NYC & DC Metro Ads Opposing Racism & Bigotry
- Christian Religious leaders ask Congress to condition Israel military aid on human rights compliance
The most recent escalation in this war of words began in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where the Church of Reconciliation ran this ad
In response, Geller and Spencer have submitted the same ad they are currently running in NYC, and say that if the ad is not accepted, they will sue.
Christian and Jewish groups, as well as an interfaith coalition also ran ads, countering what they perceived as a hateful message being promoted by the AFDI/SIOA ads.
The ad originally posted by the Methodist Women will be reposted with the addition of the names of 23 other interfaith partners. This ad is co-sponsored and signed by: • United Methodist Women • The Shoulder-to-Shoulder Campaign • American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee • American Baptist Churches USA • American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA) • Arab American Institute • Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) • Church of the Brethren • Church World Service • Cordoba Initiative • Evangelical Lutheran Church in America • Friends Committee on National Legislation • Interfaith Alliance • The Interfaith Center of New York • Islamic Society of North America • Muslim Public Affairs Council • National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA • National Religious Campaign Against Torture • The New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good • Peace is Loud • Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Public Witness, Washington, DC • Reconstructionist Rabbinical College • United Church of Christ • United Methodist General Board of Church and Society.
And, CAIR also began an ad campaign that they are sponsoring independently.
And, in retaliation, this is the new ad that AFDI/SIOA says they have already submitted:
Geller says in introducing this ad: This is the first of our series. Here are a few of the quranic verses we intend to highlight. These are my top picks. Atlas readers, I'd like your input. Which verse for our next ad?
Sadly, Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller’s organizations AFDI/SIOA are continuing to increase the volume in what has become some sort of personal vendetta against the American Muslim community. They are engaged in the senseless project of what I have called Throwing Stones at the Qur’an From a Biblical Glass House. There are verses in the Torah, the New Testament and the Qur’an (and most probably every other existing scripture) that can be easily abused either through purposeful manipulation of meaning or through ignorance - either to justify actions or to make judgements about the faith of others. The fact that it is an exercise in futility doesn’t seem to stop those who have so little self-esteem that they can only justify their own beliefs by denigrating the belief of others.
Today, in addition to announcing these new ads, they also announced in an article titled Freedom Coalition asks DC Transit to support victims of jihad in wake of deceptive Hamas-linked CAIR ad campaign and cross posted on Atlas Shrugs and Jihad Watch what they describe as A coalition of pro-freedom groups is responding to an advertising campaign in the D.C. mass transit system that seeks to quash the freedom of speech.
In spite of the fact that the CAIR ad has nothing at all to do with “quashing freedom of speech”, the article goes on to say The coalition, which includes representatives from Christian, Jewish, and secular human rights groups, is calling on Metro to donate proceeds from the deceptive Islamic supremacist ad campaign to a charity that supports human beings fleeing jihad and the sharia. The Islamic supremacist ads that are being placed by the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) mislead about the nature and root cause of jihad terror, and demonize those trying to resist jihad and Islamic supremacism.
What about this ad reflects “Islamic supremacism”? What is “misleading” to anyone except Muslim extremists and Islamophobes who want Muslims to accept their distorted interpretations of Islam and of the Qur’an? What in this ad is “demonizing” anyone? The answer is clear to anyone who is not blinded by bigotry. The article goes on to call the CAIR ad “hate speech” which “must be challenged” with “more civil speech promoting mutual understanding”, and to call the proposed AFDI/SIOA ad an “anti-hate campaign” to “challenge the growing propaganda campaign of deceptive Islamic supremacists in our society with positive messages.”
Much of this article, and others focuses on allegations against CAIR. Every Muslim organization is attacked regularly by Islamophobes, but CAIR particularly is connected by them to the infamous Muslim Brotherhood document, the unindicted co-conspirator label, and accused of not condemning Hamas, telling American Muslims not to talk to the FBI, etc. In the article announcing these new ads, Geller managed to get in most of these memes.
It is beyond belief that any rational human being could make such statements in all seriousness. If I didn’t know better I’d think that this was an Onion parody.
The bottom line is that this AFDI/SIOA coalition is asking their supporters to contact transit officials and ask them “to mitigate the negative impact of anti-free speech advertisements”.
The list of participants in this “pro-freedom”, “human rights” coalition is enlightening:
The pro-freedom coalition is led by the human rights organization the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI). Other members include Stop Islamization of America (SIOA); Stop Islamization of Nations (SION); Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE); the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA); Voice of the Copts; Former Muslims United (FMU); Traditional Values Coalition (TVC), Virginia Anti-Shariah Taskforce (VAST); Christian Seniors Association; Faith Freedom International; The Walid Shoebat Foundation; Akhand Hindusthan Morcha (a part of Vishwa Hindu Parishad), Sardar Kiranpal Singh Tyagi, President; Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha, Sardar Raviranjan Singh (Member High Power Steering Committee); Sant Sipahi Vichar Manch, Sardar Hari Singh Matharu (Convener); Nanak Shahi Parivar, Sardar Jaspal Singh Manchanda (Head of the Organization).
AFDI/SIOA/SION are basically the same organization with the same leaders (Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer), SIOE is a sister organization in Europe. AFDI/SIOA/SION/SIOE are anti-Muslim hate groups.
The Traditional Values Coalition and the Virginia Anti-Sharia Taskforce are run by a husband and wife team of anti-gay, anti-Sharia, anti-evolution bigots James Lafferty and Andrea Sheldon Lafferty. James Lafferty sits on the SION board.
Christian Seniors Association is reported to be a group that bills itself as a conservative alternative to the AARP but is really just a front group established by the Traditional Values Coalition to try and trick seniors out of the money. The CSA doesn’t even have a website and if you didn’t know it was a project of the TVC, you’d never be able to contact them.
Ali Sina of Faith Freedom International and Ashraf Rameleh of Voice of the Copts both sit on the SION board.
Former Muslims United is run by Nonie Darwish. The Walid Shoebat Foundation is run by Walid Shoebat.
All of these individuals and organizations are listed with backgrounders in our TAM Who’s Who of the anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, Islamophobia Industry. I don’t know anything about the Akhand Hindusthan Morcha or the Sikh group, but if they are hanging out with these hate groups, then they are either confused, or also hate groups.
Faith Freedom (Ali Sina), AFDI and SIOA/SION (Pamela Geller & Robert Spencer), Atlas Shrugs (Pamela Geller), Jihad Watch (Robert Spencer) are listed as active anti-Muslim group by the SPLC. AFDI/SIOA/SION/SIOE are listed as extremist anti-Muslim groups by the ADL.
There is a reason that many, even outside of the Muslim community see such demonization of Muslims as Islamophobic. There is a reason that the ADL has stated that Brigitte Gabriel’s Act for America, Pamela Geller & Robert Spencer’s Stop the Islamization of America (SIOA), David Yerushalmi’s Society of Americans for National Existence (SANE) are “groups that promote an extreme anti-Muslim agenda”. There is a reason that The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated SIOA as a hate group, and that these individuals are featured in the SPLC reports Jihad Against Islam and The Anti-Muslim Inner Circle. There is a reason that these individuals and organizations are featured prominently in: — the Center for American Progress reports “Fear Inc.” on the Islamophobia network in America and Understanding Sharia Law: Conservatives skewed interpretation needs debunking. — the People for the American Way Right Wing Playbook on Anti-Muslim Extremism. — the NYCLU report Religious Freedom Under Attack: The Rise of Anti-Mosque Activities in New York State. — the Political Research Associates report Manufacturing the Muslim menace: Private firms, public servants, and the threat to rights and security. — The ACLU report Nothing to Fear: Debunking the Mythical “Sharia Threat” to Our Judicial System — in The American Muslim TAM Who’s Who of the Anti-Muslim/Anti-Arab/Islamophobia Industry. There is a reason that the SIOA’s trademark patent was denied by the U.S. government due to its anti-Muslim nature. There is a reason that these individuals and organizations are featured in just about every legitimate report on Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred.
UPDATE 10/17/2012
The original “savage” ad has now begun running in Portland, Oregon.
According to Geller, her readers have submitted their favorites, and this is the final version of the first ad that they will be submitting in what is planned as a series. “Yes, this will go on for years,” Geller writes.
UPDATE 10/19/2012
MPAC has announced that it will Launch NYC & DC Metro Ads Opposing Racism & Bigotry.
Christian Religious leaders ask Congress to condition Israel military aid on human rights compliance
... Fifteen religious leaders representing many major faith groups in the country, have written a letter to Congress seeking to make U.S. military aid to Israel contingent upon its government’s “compliance with applicable U.S. laws and policies.”
The signers say they “have worked for decades to support both Israelis and Palestinians in their desire to live in peace and well-being” and “have witnessed the pain and suffering of Israelis as a result of Palestinian actions and of Palestinians as a result of Israeli actions.”
Though they recognize that both Israelis and Palestinians bear responsibility for the prolonged violence in the region, “unconditional U.S. military assistance to Israel has contributed to deteriorating conditions in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories which threaten to lead the region further away from the realization of a just peace. Furthermore, such aid sustains the conflict and undermines the long-term security interests of both Israelis and Palestinians.”
The signers urge an immediate investigation into possible violations by Israel of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act and the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, which respectively prohibit assistance to any country which engages in a consistent pattern of human rights violations and limit the use of U.S. weapons to “internal security” or “legitimate self-defense.”
They urge Congress to hold hearings to examine Israel’s compliance, and request regular reporting on compliance and the withholding of military aid for non-compliance.
The signers see a troubling and consistent pattern of disregard by the government of Israel for U.S. policies that support a just and lasting peace, particularly unbridled settlement construction in the West Bank. This year has also seen a dramatic rise in settler attacks against Palestinians with seeming impunity, they say.
“Continued U.S. military assistance to Israel offered without conditions or accountability,” the signers conclude, “will only serve to sustain the status quo and Israel’s military occupation of the Palestinian territories.” full text of letter
The letter by the 15 religious leaders has received both positive and negative press. See Israel lobby wants Congressional Investigation of Churches calling for restricting U.S. military aid for a discussion of a negative response from some American Jewish organizations.
UPDATE 11/6/2012/
Pamela Geller has published an article calling a decision by Chapel Hill to delay publication of Geller’s ads after realizing that it was an administrative error on the part of an employee that allowed the Church of Reconciliation ads to run in the first place. The Chapel Hill Town Council will meet to decide on a permanent ad policy for public transit, and announce their final decision.
According to Geller the Church of Reconciliation ad is a “Jew hating”, “disgusting”, “anti-Israel”, and “anti-Semitic” ad. Look again at their ad at the top of this page to decide whether such a description has any merit. The decision of the Town Council she calls “cowardly”, “grotesque”, and imposing “state-sanctioned discrimination against Jews”, and she calls the Mayor of Chapel Hill a “quisling”.
This past week someone vandalized the Church of Reconciliation in Chapel Hill with nine swastikas and the word “Nazis”. Pastor Mark Davidson says he can’t be certain about the motives behind the graffiti, but the debate surrounding the advertisement would be the most likely explanation. “It’s just speculation, but that’s the natural conclusion that I think most people would draw,” he says. “It does appear that that motive is there…we’ve received hate mail (over this issue).”
This would seem to be a reasonable supposition, but unless the perpetrator of the vandalism is caught by the authorities, we won’t have a definite answer.
Geller’s response to this vandalism was to say: “why not? The town has all but championed Jew-hatred by running these disgusting anti-Israel ads while prohibiting our pro-Israel ads.” Clearly, her supposition is that the vandalism directed at the Church and calling the Church of the Reconciliation “Nazis” was somehow actually aimed at Jews and is an example of “Jew-hatred”. This supposition is much more difficult to consider reasonable.
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The claim that the Islamophobes are “truth-tellers” and “defenders of freedom” who actually “love Muslims” and have never engaged in “broadbrush demonization” or “advocated violence” are nonsense. The claim that they are falsely being accused of Islamophobia for no reason other than their legitimate concerns about real issues and that in fact there is not even such a thing as Islamophobia, or their claim that the fact that there are fewer hate crimes against Muslims than against Jews or that some Muslims have fabricated such crimes “proves” that Islamophobia doesn’t exist, or that the term Islamophobia was made up by Muslims in order to stifle their freedom of speech, or that anti-Muslim bigotry is “not Islamophobia but Islamorealism” are all nonsense.
The Islamophobia of these folks is very real, it is also strikingly similar to a previous generations’ anti-Semitism, and it has predictable consequences.
The reason that this is so obvious to so many is that rational people can tell the difference between legitimate concerns and bigoted stereotypes.
The Islamophobes generalize specific incidents to reflect on all Muslims or all of Islam. They consistently push the false memes that: - we are in danger from creeping Sharia, - the Muslim population is increasing at an alarming rate, - 80% of American Mosques are radicalized, - Muslims in government are accused of being Muslim Brotherhood plants, stealth jihadists, and creeping Sharia proponents and should be MARGINALIZED or excluded. Every Muslim organization is connected to the infamous Muslim Brotherhood document or the unindicted co-conspirator label. Individual Muslims and Arabs, and their organizations are accused of not condemning Hamas, telling American Muslims not to talk to the FBI, etc.
These individuals and organizations consistently promote the false what everyone “knows” lies about Islam and Muslims (including ]distorting the meaning of Qur’anic verses, and distorting the meaning of Islamic terms such as taqiyya, jihad, sharia, etc.).
Islamophobes falsely claim to see “JIHAD” PLOTS everywhere, particularly where they don’t exist. They, like Muslim extremists, don’t understand the true meaning of the term jihad. The Islamophobes have uncovered countless examples of “shocking”, non-existent Muslim jihad plots. They have uncovered:— Everyone “knows” that most or all terrorists are Muslims, and there are no Christian and no Jewish terrorists (or terrorists of any other religious stripe), and that Muslims are all militant, inherently violent, more likely to engage in violence against civilians, and more likely than other Americans to be radicalized. — Everyone “knows” that Muslims are not interested in dialogue. That Muslims don’t help Christians in need. That Muslims can’t have Christians as friends, and are anti-Semites, Holocaust deniers, and intolerant of other faiths, and in fact hate Jews. — Everyone “knows” that Muslims don’t unequivocally denounce terrorism, that American Muslim leaders have not responded to radicalization in their community, that mosques are the source of radicalization, that 85% of mosques are run by radicals, that Muslims don’t cooperate with law enforcement.— Everyone “knows” that Muslims are not equivalent to real Americans, that they are the enemy within, and a fifth column, that good Muslims can’t be good Americans, that Muslims are not loyal to America, that they are not a part of our American heritage— Everyone “knows” that Islam itself is the problem and makes Muslims “backward”, that Muslims have made no contribution to the West, that Islam is “of the devil”, a Crescent menace, a “green peril”, that was spread by the sword, an “evil encroaching on the United States”, and not a religion. — Everyone “knows” that this is a Christian nation, which the Muslims are trying to take over, starting with getting an Eid stamp which is the first step towards shariah law which is a threat to America, and a threat to our judicial system, by purposefully having more children than others to increase their numbers, and they will be the majority in this country in 20 years. Muslims are a threat to America— Everyone “knows” that Muslims have no respect for the Constitution, they don’t obey the laws of the United States, that they are opposed to freedom of speech, don’t allow and freedom of religion. — Everyone “knows” that Muslims are given a pass by the elite media. It’s “us versus them”. — Everyone “knows” that the Muslims’ goal is world domination under a Caliphate, and the proposed Cordoba House in NYC is a demonstration of supremacism and triumphalism, and that Muslims planned to open it on the anniversary of 9/11. — Everyone “knows” that Muslims don’t speak out against extremism or terrorism, and even those Muslims who do speak up or seem moderate are simply lying or practicing taqiyyah. — Everyone “knows” that the Qur’an is uniquely violent, that the Islamic concept of God doesn’t include God’s love, and does not include the concept of a Golden Rule, that Allah is a moon god. — Everyone “knows” that Islam is a monolith and all Muslims are the same, like the “Borg”. This means that every act committed by an individual who is a Muslim is directly attributable to Islam, and never because the individual is crazy, criminal, or perverted. — Everyone “knows” that Muslims don’t have a sense of humor— Everyone “knows” that Muslims are like the Fascists and Nazis and that in fact they supported those movements. And, all of these memes that everyone “knows” ARE FALSE.
— Muslim celebration for special needs children jihad — “vehicular jihad” — objecting to pornographic ads jihad — employment jihad — litigation jihad — “environmentalist jihad”. —— “comic book jihad” — Muslim victims of 9/11 accused of dying as martyrs in an act of jihad — hospital jihad — Muslim Family Day jihad — Muslim Prayer event jihad — bumper sticker jihad — Thanksgiving turkey jihad — paisley scarf jihad — marriage to important men jihad — spit jihad — fashion jihad — spelling bee jihad — rape jihad — defacing dollar bills jihad — population jihad — creeping Sharia jihad — mosque building jihad — terror baby jihad — “creeping Sharia” jihad — pedophilia jihad — bus driver prayer jihad — forehead bruise jihad — postage stamp jihad — soup jihad — banning alcohol jihad — fake hate crimes jihad — piggy bank jihad — tv reality series jihad — handshake jihad — prom jihad — interfaith jihad — Arabic language jihad — public school jihad — religious accommodation jihad — Crescent moon jihad — Christmas tree tax jihad — oath of office jihad — immigration jihad — community fundraiser jihad— public school/madrassa jihad — post office jihad — food jihad — pyramid jihad — crucifixion jihad — fireworks jihad — computer donation jihad — civic participation jihad — Olympic “judo” jihad — stealth name jihad— pre-violent jihad
When Islamophobes are caught in the act of making up or distorting claims they engage in devious methods to attempt to conceal the evidence.
See Resources for dealing with Islamophobes for many more reasons that these people cannot be trusted.
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