‘Jihad’ ad in New York subway could spark more protests

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A provocative ad that equates some Muslim radicals with savages is set to go up next week in the New York City subway system, just as violent protests in the Middle East are subsiding over an anti-Islamic film ridiculing the prophet Muhammad.

A conservative blogger who once headed a campaign against an Islamic center near the Sept. 11 terror attack site won a court order to post the ad in 10 subway stations on Monday. It reads, “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad.”

In this undated photo provided by Pamela Geller, an example of an advertisement that equates foes of Israel with ?savages? is shown. Geller, the anti-Islamic blogger behind the ad campaign, said she is not concerned that the advertisements could spark protests when they appear at 10 New York City subway stations on Sept. 24, 2012. (AP Photo )

The ad was plastered on San Francisco city buses in recent weeks – prompting some artists to deface the ads and remove some of the words, including “jihad.” The blogger, Pamela Geller, said she filed suit Thursday in the nation’s capital to post the ad in Washington’s transit system, after officials declined to put up the ad in light of the uproar in the Middle East over the anti-Islam film.

Abdul Yasar, a New York subway rider who considers himself an observant Muslim, said Geller’s ad was insensitive in an unsettling climate for Muslims.

“If you don’t want to see what happened in Libya and Egypt after the video – maybe not so strong here in America – you shouldn’t put this up,” Yasar said.

But “if this is a free country, they have the right to do this,” he said. “And then Muslims have the right to put up their own ad.”

Top Photo: Blogger Pamela Geller, at an anti-Islam conference she organized, is posting an ad equating Muslim radicals with savages

SF Gate

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