NYC bus ads asking 'Leaving Islam?' cause a stir

[Kikki]

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What happen, if there will be no religion???

Trolling will start lol

[Black Widow]

NYC bus ads asking 'Leaving Islam?' cause a stir

By DEEPTI HAJELA
The Associated Press
Wednesday, May 26, 2010; 9:45 PM

NEW YORK -- The questions on the ads aren't subtle: Leaving Islam? Fatwa on your head? Is your family threatening you?

A conservative activist and the organizations she leads have paid several thousand dollars for the ads to run on at least 30 city buses for a month. The ads point to a website called RefugefromIslam.com, which offers information to those wishing to leave Islam, but some Muslims are calling the ads a smoke screen for an anti-Muslim agenda.

Pamela Geller, who leads an organization called Stop Islamization of America, said the ads were meant to help provide resources for Muslims who are fearful of leaving the faith.

"It's not offensive to Muslims, it's religious freedom," she said. "It's not targeted at practicing Muslims. It doesn't say 'leave,' it says 'leaving' with a question mark."

Geller said the ad buy cost about $8,000, contributed by the readers of her blog, Atlas Shrugs, and other websites. Similar ads have run on buses in Miami, and she said ad buys were planned for other cities.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said Geller's ad was reviewed and did not violate the agency's guidelines.

"The religion in question would not change the determination that the language in the ad does not violate guidelines," MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said Wednesday.

All ads are screened, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said. Most are reviewed by the company that handles the MTA's advertising opportunities, but some are sent to the MTA for ultimate approval.

Last month, Miami-Dade Transit pulled the ads from 10 buses after deciding they "may be offensive to Islam," according to The Miami Herald. But the agency decided to reinstall them after reviewing the ads with the county attorney's office.

The county decided "although they may be considered offensive by some, they do not fall under the general guidelines that would warrant their removal," Transit spokesman Clinton Forbes told the newspaper.

Glenn Smith, a professor at California Western School of Law in San Diego, said discriminating against the ads could result in First Amendment issues for the city.

While people may find the content objectionable, courts have ruled that the First Amendment requires Americans to put up with "a lot of unenlightened and objectionable messages," he said.

"It's sort of the price of keeping government out of the marketplace of ideas," he said.

Eugene Volokh, a First Amendment expert at UCLA School of Law, said the ads could leave some Muslims reluctant to ride the bus. There could also be a risk that some extremist groups might bomb the buses, although that possibility wouldn't limit free speech rights, he said.

The agency had received no complaints since the ads went up on May 14, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said. The 30 or so buses with the ads pass through all five boroughs of the city.

Council member Robert Jackson, a Muslim, said he had not seen the ad. But he questioned the criteria the MTA uses in determining what is appropriate.

He also takes issue with the content. He doesn't believe anyone is being forced to stay in a religion, especially in America, which was built on religious freedom.

"I think this is a campaign by the extreme right, those that are against the Muslim religion," he said. "Quite frankly, I would think the average New Yorker would take it for what it's worth."

Faiza Ali, of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the ads were based on a false premise that people face coercion to remain with Islam. She said Muslims believe faith that is forced is not true belief.

"Geller is free to say what she likes just as concerned community members are free to criticize her motives," Ali said.

Geller has a history of speaking out against Muslims, and the ads are "a smoke screen to advance her long-standing history of anti-Muslim bigotry," Ali said.

Geller said she had no problem with Muslims, but was working to "maintain the separation of mosque and state." She is also among those speaking out against the building of a mosque and cultural center near ground zero.

I don't think there is anything wrong in her advertisement.. It is widely heard that if some one leave Islam, he/she is threatened (One of so called Islam scholar Zakir Naik find leaving Islam as treason and he advocate death for treason)...

This lady is giving refuse to the ppl who want to leave Islam.. She is not saying that "You Leave Islam", She is just offering the refuse and safety.

(What a Muslim will do if some Cristian accept Islam??? I think he will do the same)

She wants to stop islamization of America by legal and hounurable means, she is not advocating discrimination and killing of Muslim..

The Attorney office has cleared this ad, and they believe that it is not anti Islamic or illegal...

[Black Widow]

What happen, if there will be no religion???

Existence of religion is threat to human, Non Existence of religion will be bigger threat.. Ppl will not fear any thing, they will become corrupt, inhumane. It will be chaos all over.. Religion is like safety valve.. it make human humane...

What if there will be only one religion: Then sect will born, Muslims has many sect they fight . Hindus have many cast they too fight. Same with cristian...

Leave human, machines have cast "Autobots and Decepticons" ..

[twoplustwoisfour]

[COLOR="royalblue"]Existence of religion is threat to human, Non Existence of religion will be bigger threat.. Ppl will not fear any thing, they will become corrupt, inhumane. It will be chaos all over.. Religion is like safety valve.. it make human humane...

Not really. Religion is like a hypocritical check. Half the people obey it, and half don't. If there is no religion, then everyone will be at par, be it in terms of corruption or 'inhumanity' as you term it

[Black Widow]

Not really. Religion is like a hypocritical check. Half the people obey it, and half don't. If there is no religion, then everyone will be at par, be it in terms of corruption or 'inhumanity' as you term it

Fear and respect for a particular religion prevent us from doing many unethical things.. the bad people don't have fear of god... Now you may ask me Terrorists are highly religious then why they are inhumane... the answer would be "This is how they saw there religion, they are what they chose to be"

for a person having fear or respect in god don't do wrong thing, or I can say he try to avoid doing wrong things... Religion gives a brotherhood kind of feeling. Religion bind a group of like minded people... Infact religion was made for this purpose...

When there was no written constitution/Law religious law were use to govern a society.. The religion were isolated, people were happily following there religion. 2000 year ago Cristianity born, then started the conversion, They tried to convert, other tried to defend.... and then came the big religious war... the religion start loosing its significance...

[JonAsad]

With out the fear of Judgement Day- or Karma- and uncertainty of what will happen when one will die- It will lead to Anarchy-

[jdme]

Fear and respect for a particular religion prevent us from doing many unethical things.. the bad people don't have fear of god... Now you may ask me Terrorists are highly religious then why they are inhumane... the answer would be "This is how they saw there religion, they are what they chose to be"

for a person having fear or respect in god don't do wrong thing, or I can say he try to avoid doing wrong things... Religion gives a brotherhood kind of feeling. Religion bind a group of like minded people... Infact religion was made for this purpose...

Ahem...I don't believe in God and yet I am not out there destroying humanity. On the other hand, many religious people do. If you need religion and fear of God to live a decent life, something is very wrong with you.

[JonAsad]

Ahem...I don't believe in God and yet I am not out there destroying humanity. On the other hand, many religious people do. If you need religion and fear of God to live a decent life, something is very wrong with you.

What you believe in then?- The system? The government?- Which man made laws you follow?- Can you see them?- Or its just the faith you chose to have in them- but not God?-

[Black Widow]

Ahem...I don't believe in God and yet I am not out there destroying humanity. On the other hand, many religious people do. If you need religion and fear of God to live a decent life, something is very wrong with you.

Not believing in any religion is the religion which you believe... Religion doesn't mean hindu-muslim or xians... Naturalist is also religion... In hinduism there are few stream who don believe in normal hindu practice, rather they believe in nature... Your religion can be paganism... Again don't confuse paganism with idol worship or nature worship...

In very short I can say religion is a believe , a law (Written, oral, natural or humane) , a system. I am sure you believe in these things. If you believe in thiese things, you are religious, only difference is ,your religion is different than my religion...

[jdme]

Not believing in any religion is the religion which you believe... Religion doesn't mean hindu-muslim or xians... Naturalist is also religion... In hinduism there are few stream who don believe in normal hindu practice, rather they believe in nature... Your religion can be paganism... Again don't confuse paganism with idol worship or nature worship...

In very short I can say religion is a believe , a law (Written, oral, natural or humane) , a system. I am sure you believe in these things. If you believe in thiese things, you are religious, only difference is ,your religion is different than my religion...

I am not a naturalist. I don't practice anything. I just don't care about these things.

[BelligerentPacifist]

good question. any answer to this?

Hello,nice to meet another neonate on the forum. How about you tell us a little about yourself rather than resurrect 14-months-old threads! The latter is behaviour suspiciously close to trolling

[jdme]

What you believe in then?- The system? The government?- Which man made laws you follow?- Can you see them?- Or its just the faith you chose to have in them- but not God?-

I have some faith in humanity. Seeing man made laws? I don't understand what you are saying. I cannot see gravity but it's not a "man-made" law. What is God by the way? I cannot actually "believe" something if I don't even understand it! This probably best describes me: Apatheism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Black Widow]

I am not a naturalist. I don't practice anything. I just don't care about these things.

Naturalist don't dance around tree and sing "Jhinga la-la hooo" or wear Lion mask and perform lion dance. Naturalists are those who believe in natural phenomenon, they believe in humanity , they believe in basic human behavior (Love rage, hate). they can believe in man made law (constitution).. look it into broader sense , yo will realize that you too believe in something..

What is religion ?? Its mere believe.. The day one Muslim reject believe in allah or koran he is no more muslim, same with other religion..

It will never happen that one will stop believing in anything....

[Cheetah786]

NYC bus ads asking 'Leaving Islam?' cause a stir

By DEEPTI HAJELA
The Associated Press
Wednesday, May 26, 2010; 9:45 PM

NEW YORK -- The questions on the ads aren't subtle: Leaving Islam? Fatwa on your head? Is your family threatening you?

A conservative activist and the organizations she leads have paid several thousand dollars for the ads to run on at least 30 city buses for a month. The ads point to a website called RefugefromIslam.com, which offers information to those wishing to leave Islam, but some Muslims are calling the ads a smoke screen for an anti-Muslim agenda.

Pamela Geller, who leads an organization called Stop Islamization of America, said the ads were meant to help provide resources for Muslims who are fearful of leaving the faith.

"It's not offensive to Muslims, it's religious freedom," she said. "It's not targeted at practicing Muslims. It doesn't say 'leave,' it says 'leaving' with a question mark."

Geller said the ad buy cost about $8,000, contributed by the readers of her blog, Atlas Shrugs, and other websites. Similar ads have run on buses in Miami, and she said ad buys were planned for other cities.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said Geller's ad was reviewed and did not violate the agency's guidelines.

"The religion in question would not change the determination that the language in the ad does not violate guidelines," MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said Wednesday.

All ads are screened, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said. Most are reviewed by the company that handles the MTA's advertising opportunities, but some are sent to the MTA for ultimate approval.

Last month, Miami-Dade Transit pulled the ads from 10 buses after deciding they "may be offensive to Islam," according to The Miami Herald. But the agency decided to reinstall them after reviewing the ads with the county attorney's office.

The county decided "although they may be considered offensive by some, they do not fall under the general guidelines that would warrant their removal," Transit spokesman Clinton Forbes told the newspaper.

Glenn Smith, a professor at California Western School of Law in San Diego, said discriminating against the ads could result in First Amendment issues for the city.

While people may find the content objectionable, courts have ruled that the First Amendment requires Americans to put up with "a lot of unenlightened and objectionable messages," he said.

"It's sort of the price of keeping government out of the marketplace of ideas," he said.

Eugene Volokh, a First Amendment expert at UCLA School of Law, said the ads could leave some Muslims reluctant to ride the bus. There could also be a risk that some extremist groups might bomb the buses, although that possibility wouldn't limit free speech rights, he said.

The agency had received no complaints since the ads went up on May 14, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said. The 30 or so buses with the ads pass through all five boroughs of the city.

Council member Robert Jackson, a Muslim, said he had not seen the ad. But he questioned the criteria the MTA uses in determining what is appropriate.

He also takes issue with the content. He doesn't believe anyone is being forced to stay in a religion, especially in America, which was built on religious freedom.

"I think this is a campaign by the extreme right, those that are against the Muslim religion," he said. "Quite frankly, I would think the average New Yorker would take it for what it's worth."

Faiza Ali, of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the ads were based on a false premise that people face coercion to remain with Islam. She said Muslims believe faith that is forced is not true belief.

"Geller is free to say what she likes just as concerned community members are free to criticize her motives," Ali said.

Geller has a history of speaking out against Muslims, and the ads are "a smoke screen to advance her long-standing history of anti-Muslim bigotry," Ali said.

Geller said she had no problem with Muslims, but was working to "maintain the separation of mosque and state." She is also among those speaking out against the building of a mosque and cultural center near ground zero.

Please for future when you make a post like this make sure you don't give these bigots Advertisement they crave including removing there web adresses.

[Loki]

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Religion can be like a business in America

Interesting times!