Ads will be placed on New York subway cars during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan to promote a better understanding of Islam, but the plan is irking a congressman who describes the ads as “shameful” and “unacceptable”.
“The mission of the project is to encourage people to search for unbiased information on Islam and to promote understanding and dialogue between people of different faiths,” the Islamic Circle of North America, the main sponsor of the ads, said on the “You deserve to know” campaign website.
“Everyone deserves to know what Islam is all about.”
The grassroot organization plans to launch the campaign on the New York City subway in September, which will coincide with Ramadan.
“Ramadan is a month when Islam receives more attention, because Muslims will be fasting at the workplace,” said ICNA.
The group is paying the Metropolitan Transit Authority $48,000 to run a variation of 3 ads that will appear in 1,000 of the MTA’s 6,200 subway cars.
One side of the simple black-and-white panels will feature as questions key words or phrases associated with common stereotypes about Islam such as “Head Scarf?”
The other side will display the words “You deserve to know” along with contact information for ICNA.
Interested passengers can visit www.whyislam.org or call 1-877-WHY-ISLAM to receive answers to any of their questions.
“We are providing an opportunity to anyone who has questions to have them answered by informed Muslims,” says ICNA.
A recent US survey revealed that the majority of Americans know very little about Islam and do not see any common grounds between the Muslim faith and their own Christian beliefs.
“Shameful”
The know-Islam campaign is angering Peter King, a Republican member of the House of Representatives.
“They are especially shameful because the ads will be running during the seventh anniversary of September 11,” he has said.
King urged the city’s transit agency to cancel the campaign.
“The subways are considered a primary target of terrorists…I strongly believe the MTA should pull the ads.”
ICNA, the Muslim organizer, described the anti-campaign as a “perfect microcosm” of what the ads seek to address.
“I think that even more so reinforces the idea as to why a project like this is necessary,” spokesman Azeem Khan told CNN.
“Muslims have to be more pro-active in terms of educating people about their religion, by no means proselytizing the faith in any capacity, but really setting a standard and defining what mainstream Islam stands for.”
There are between six to seven million Muslims in the United States, making up less than three percent of the country’s 300 million population.
Nearly seven years after the 9/11 attacks, many American Muslims complain that they continue to face discrimination and stereotyping because of their Islamic attires or identities.
0 Responses to “Know Islam in New York Subway”