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Pamela Geller Fights On For Detroit Anti-Islam Bus Advertisements

By on April 27, 2011 in Loon-at-large

Geller is hanging on by the very last threads and by doing this, she is hoping to remain relevant.

Pamela Geller Fights On For Detroit Anti-Islam Bus Advertisements

 

Conservative activist Pamela Geller says the first amendment protects her right to run anti-Islam advertisements on Detroit buses. The local transit authority disagrees. Cue a year-long battle over free speech, with the ball now (temporarily) back in the hands of the bus company.

The saga of the bus banner ads began last May when Geller’s group, American Freedom Defense Initiative, submitted a request to the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) in Detroit to run a banner ad on their vehicles offering support for Muslims seeking to leave Islam.

The banner ad reads: “Fatwa on your head? Is your family or community threatening you? Leaving Islam? Got questions? Get answers! RefugeFromIslam.com.” Visitors to the website are told not to tell friends or family about their plans to leave the faith and suggests they may be killed. “If you are thinking of leaving Islam, be wary, be careful,” it reads. “The Qur’an commands your death for leaving Islam… and Muhammad is explicit in a hadith: “If anyone changes his religion, kill him.”

While Geller has described the ads as a resource for Muslims, opponents criticize them as a little more than a vehicle for depicting Islam as a violent religion. The ads faced similar controversy when introduced to New York City and Miami.

SMART rejected Geller’s request on grounds that the bus company bars advertisements that are political in nature, or that are “likely to hold up to scorn or ridicule any person or group of persons.”

In response, Geller associate David Yerushalmi and the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) filed a lawsuit against SMART on behalf of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, seeking to reverse the bus authority’s refusal to display the ads.

Continue reading: Pamela Geller Fights On For Detroit Anti-Islam Bus Advertisements

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  • AJ

    The loons are of the three types: The Christians ones – the rednecks, the neo-cons – the Israel funded ones that are Jewish and last but not the least are the Hindu zealots.

    Am I aware of that? Yes, I am.

    Do I think that its their religion that promotes the hate? NO!

  • Nur Alia

    Muslim groups should counter by telling the American people what ‘supporting Israel’ does, and means to the Palistinians on the buses as well.

  • Mosizzle

    Maybe he was talking about some pro-Israel groups who decide to fund Islamophobia because they think it well help Israel. If that is the case, then he is correct on some level:

    http://www.loonwatch.com/2010/09/the-connection-between-zionism-and-organized-islamophobia-the-facts/

    But the tone and language of the comment implies some global Jewish conspiracy, a bit like the global stealth-jihad conspiracy that is commonly discussed on Islamophobic websites. If he was talking about this, then this is without a doubt anti-Semitic.

    Only Andrew can clarify what he meant.

  • Saladin

    @jacque

    We can call him out for being a bigot because he should be able to separate individuals who do wrong from a group there are many Jewish people who have come to the deference of Muslims Amy Goodman is a good example and if he can not tell that, then yes it is his fault for not seeing that there are people in all communities who do not represent them and do bad things, especially since many Jewish people have come to the defense of Muslims say for example like Jewish Voice for Peace and many Jewish individuals and groups who fight agianst bigotry directed at Muslims so he should know better than to blame an entire community like that. Based on your line of reasoning Muslims should not blame bigots for Islamophobia agianst them but they should instead blame the Muslims across the Globe who engage in bad things that logic make no sense.

  • Solid Snake

    What I meant is it is careless to label something “Jewish” when the people do not represent the Jewish people.

  • Solid Snake

    Whoa whoa guys first of all what Andrew wrote seems like pure emotion and I am sure he didn’t mean that all Jews are in a consipiracy to do any of the sort of things he mentioned. We are aginst this kind of speech not because we want to appease those hawks over at JW or Atlas but because we beleive it’s wrong to accuse an entire people. As for Jacque, no one is defending Plastic Pam at all, but to throw the word “Jewish” around is careless also because as you have mentioned not all Jews are involved in illegal activities etc. Some of the greatest supporters of Geller and Israeli aggression or none Jews. I agree on the fact that Pam isn’t doing the Jewish people a good service at all, but you have to wonder that that might be the purpose all along, to keep Muslim and Arabs and Jews quarrelling and Fighting. Because if we make peace with our cousins there goes her paycheck. So yeh how bout we all relax and stop arguing. Andrew I would like you to apologise for that please, to the Jewish readers and writers and tothe other Loonwatchers. Thanks!

  • ali
  • jacque

    You should be careful in using the word anti-semitism. It is an overused word in today’s world. How do I know? You have Jewish readers and writers, but that doesn’t stop Loonwatch from being called anti-semitic. It has gotten so bad that a person like Norman Finkelstein, who is Jewish, is called that word for not being a Jew who blindly supports Israel. Noam Chomsky as well.

    Also, I want to make one thing clear. People like Geller, Gabriel, and Schlussel create more hatred against Jewish people than any Muslim has ever preached. So when people like Andrew say the things they do, don’t blame him. Blame people like Geller. People like Andrew know where she is coming from and it is not from America.

  • mindy1

    I ma not defending Geller, but as a Jewish person, I get annoyed when people think that we all conspire to keep Muslims down-I do not discriminate, and I do not want anyone to think so because of my faith, just as we should not be biased against Muslims for their faith

  • Mosizzle

    No one is defending Pamela Geller. We’re objecting to what seems to be anti-semitism. All forms of hatred are unacceptable.

    This site has some Jewish writers and there are plenty of Jewish readers, like Mindy, so to think that LW would accept such garbage against Jews is out of order. If as Muslims we are facing hatred, then we have no right to do that to someone else.

    I understand you are pissed off at Geller, as am I, but to assume it’s okay to blame all Jews is wrong just as it’s wrong for Jihadwatchers to blame all Muslims because of Bin Laden.

  • jacque

    Wow. Mosizzle and Mindy1 are defending Pamela Geller. Good work guys.

  • mindy1

    @Andrew, people like you are what scare people like me from engaging in dialogue

  • Mosizzle

    ^You’re joking, right? Because otherwise hateful comments like that are unacceptable….

  • Andrew

    “Conservative activist Pamela Geller”. Please, she is a Judeo-fascist degenerate engaged in a world wide Jewish project to instigate a genocidal war against Arabs and Muslims.

  • “If anyone changes his religion, kill him.” What does this supose to teach us? Make people think stupid about Islam and the Muslims or what? Now, I see the necessity for Pemeler Galler to get schooled, i mean, she really need to. “Do not think that i came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” [mathew 10] We all know that it wouldn’t be right to conclude that the religion preached by JESUS was one of WAR or VIOLENCE, but such uttrances relates purely to PARTICULAR OCCASSIONS. That is exactly what happened to that which Pam quoted out of contest. Pam! Believe me sincerely, you need to get schooled BIG TIME, and soon you will

  • Yusuf

    Ibrahim that advertisement of hers is a direct rip off of the “Try Islam” advertisements. Sure we could do more advertising and what not but you know what the best advertisement for Islam is? Acting like a Muslim, something many American Muslims, and Muslims around the world, don’t do.

  • Superpowerarsenal

    I’m sure I saw that face in a sci fi movie somewhere…

  • Ibrahim

    Here’s a suggestion, hear me out, why can’t we raise funds within the Muslim community in North America (and beyond) and then use Pamela’s own tactics to run her aground?
    We hire out billboards, buses, TV spots, so forth.

    I mean, the Mormons are doing it 😛
    I don’t know if that somehow cheapens the perception of religion, but that point may be the topic of a lengthier discussion.

  • Michael Akkawi

    I can’t help but believe that this is a systematic effort to defame Islam by influencing the public opinion. It’s a conspiracy and that’s what it is. The purpose of all this fuss is not to help Muslims who apostate, I am sure she’s least concerned about those people. Her concern is to just to dehumanize Islam by playing on a sensitive issue. The other theory is that Pam can not sleep during the night because of ex-Muslims who are being killed around the clock. You choose what to believe.

    Muslims can use a similar AD against Judaism and quote even more straightforward and more violent excerpts from the Old Testament. But you will be immediately labeled as antisemitic not just by Pamela, but also by moderates and democrats.

    A similar treatment or counter-effort by Muslims against Judaism is not only unwise, but would also be Ironic, since Muslims basically believe in “what was revealed before”, namely the New and Old Testament!

    The thing is that this irony becomes hysterically ridiculous when mishandled by loons like Pamela who uses stark double standards: “I criticize your violent values as long as their source is the Quran, which you believe in” BUT “I don’t criticize your violent values as long as their source is the Old Testament, which you believe in too.” Too hypocritical and rude!

  • marco

    Have an ad criticalm of Israel and you’ll see Pam flip out completely screaming anti semitism jew haters and every other smear under the sun at those behind it. All rights disappear – but she then demands those rights to attack muslims & islam day in day out.

    Maybe someone needs to contact the bus company and make them aware of the fact 1 of the organizations she is being “SIOA” was branded a hate organization by the southern poverty law center, that her website is full of hatred & bigotry & misinformation about Islam & muslims.

    Plus – surely the bus company as the right to decide what ads they do and don’t show?

    You can imagine the outrage by the Pro Israel groups if anything about Israel was put up ( which they did of course)

  • Solid Snake

    Hmmm needs MOAR plastic surgery…!

  • jawad

    its crazy to think people like her and spencer make money by doing things like this. takes away anyway credibility they possibly could have had (if any) by the fact that they are cashing in on this.
    they should fully disclose all their finances so anyone with any intellect or common sense can see that they are blatantly bias and have ulterior motives.

  • jacque

    The bikini bimbo travels on. Don’t these people who support her know that all they are doing is allowing her to take vacations in the US and around the world. She is laughing at you while she is cashing in.

  • Zakariya Ali Sher

    And sadly, this will probably be settled out of court and wind up giving Pammy and Yerushalemi more money to line their pockets (not to mention a little extra time on camera). But the truth of the matter, no matter how you look at it, is that NOBODY is under any obligation to run a particular ad. If they don’t accept money from Pamzilla, then they don’t have to do anything for her. That’s the way business works. Otherwise I could try and force them to put up a banner that says ‘LONG LIVE TITANIS WALLERI,’ and then threaten to sue because they hurt my feelings by not supporting Pleistocene megafauna.

    I’ll wait for robbie and the other Islamophobes to look those big words up now. Especially since they have a hard enough time understanding concepts like evolution and deep time.

  • mindy1

    GO AWAY PAM

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