Fundie Thomas Moore Law Center sues to force Detroit-area bus system to run anti-Islam ad

[marmar]

from the Detroit Free Press:



Posted: June 22, 2010
Anti-Islam ad belongs on buses, court is told

BY NIRAJ WARIKOO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER


An Ann Arbor group announced Monday it has filed a request with a federal court seeking to require a metro Detroit bus agency to run ads aimed at Muslims who want to leave Islam.

The Thomas More Law Center, a conservative legal group, filed a motion for a temporary restraining order on Thursday that asks a federal judge to side with a New Hampshire-based group that often criticizes Islam. The Thomas More center had filed a lawsuit against SMART last month on behalf of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, Pamela Geller of New York and Robert Spencer of New Hampshire. The plaintiffs are critics of Islamic extremism.

A SMART spokeswoman did not give any explanation as to why the bus agency refused to run the ad.

Robert Muise, an attorney with the Thomas More center, said the bus agency is a government entity and so it violated the First Amendment by not allowing the ad to run. He said that similar ads have run on buses in Florida and New York. The ads read: "Fatwa on your head? Is your family or community threatening you? Leaving Islam? Got Questions? Get Answers!"

Muise noted that SMART had run an ad earlier this year by an atheist group that read: "Don't Believe in God? You are not alone." Muise said that decision shows there is a double standard in SMART's policies. He said that SMART's own policy says it may "not censor free speech" and is "required to provide equal access to advertising."

Local Muslim leaders support SMART's decision.

"They surely have the prerogative to deny carrying anti-Muslim ads in a locality which has one of the largest Muslim populations in North America," said Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.


http://www.freep.com/article/20100622/NEWS05/6220357/1318/Anti-Islam-ad-belongs-on-buses-court-is-told

[ananda]

1. How crazy this world is.

nt

[mr_liberal]

2. Either no religious ads or yovue got to

allow them all. So I agree with them.

[msongs]

3. muslims are allowed to go out there and recruit, so the opposite is allowed as well nt

[SoCalNative]

7. Delete

dupe due to posting glitch

[ProdigalJunkMail]

4. so the anti-religion ads are ok?

I seem to recall a BIG support of the anti-religion ads (run on buses in the UK I believe). personally, if an ad on a bus damages your commitment to your religion you might have needed to do some examination of said commitment in the first place.

they should be able to run the ads...and so should muslims in response...

sP

[MindPilot]

6. How are the ads anti-religion?

They both offer alternatives, nothing more. No different than something saying "want to stop drinking? Call AA" is anti-alcohol.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

8. Um-m-m...

...where did the ads mention the color of skin?

[MindPilot]

9. That's because there is a big difference between Christianity and Islam

When you decide to not be Christian, it can result in hurt feelings, being estranged from your family and is usually downright awkward. When you decide to not be Muslim, it can get you killed -- especially if you are female.