Controversial 'defeat jihad' ads will appear in subways
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By MYFOX NEW YORK STAFF
MTA officials said an advertisement that was rejected for its "demeaning" language is expected to appear at 10 subway stations next week because of a court ruling.
"Our hands are tied. The MTA is subject to a court ordered injunction that prohibits application of the MTA's existing no-demeaning ad standard," said Aaron Donovan, an MTA spokesman. "That standard restricted publication of ads that demean people on the basis of their race, sex, religion, national origin or other group classification. The judge recognized our intention but found our attempt to be constitutionally deficient. As a result, under our existing ad standards as modified by the injunction, the MTA is required to run the ad."
A federal judge in Manhattan ruled in June that the MTA violated the First Amendment rights of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, the group that created and sought to place the ads in the subway system.
The ad reads: "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad."
In a statement, the Council on American Islamic Relations - New York denounced the ad.
"We're really troubled that this hate group is disguising anti Muslim bigotry with support for Israel. And we want to make sure that everyone realizes that this ad does not represent Israel's interest, or the interest of Jewish-Americans," Muneer Awad, of CAIR-NY, said in part. "American Muslims recognize the freedom of speech and recognize this organization's right to be racist, but we also recognize the responsibility of New Yorkers to condemn this racism."
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