The American Freedom Defense Initiative, an organization whose self-described goal is to “stop the Islamization of America,” has paid for anti-jihadist posters in the Glenmont, Takoma Park, U Street and Georgia-Petworth Metro stations. The ads read: “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad.” The posters have sparked controversy over their potentially offensive language and their affect on the safety of Metro riders.
WMATA, The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, initially postponed putting up the posters out of concern they would exacerbate tensions, much like the YouTube video about the Prophet Mohammed had in September. But a court injunction filed by the ADFI forced WMATA to display them starting Oct. 5. The ADFI argued that refusing to do so violated their freedom of speech.
“We had been cautioned by a couple of federal agencies that it would not be in our best interest for the safety of our riders to have the posters up in the stations at that time,” said Caroline Lukas, WMATA media relations manager.
At least one organization has also raised concerns over the language used on the posters. Christina Warner, a campaign director for the religious tolerance group Shoulder-to-Shoulder, argued that thousands of people walk through those Metro stations every day, some of whom could be offended by the posters.
The posters misconstrue the term “Jihad,” Warner added. Jihad means “the effort to live under God’s will and the struggle against evil;” it doesn’t denote violence.
However, ADFI director Pamela Geller defended the phrasing as accurate.
“The truth is not and can never legitimately be offensive, except to those who prefer lies and falsehood,” Geller said. “The war on Israel is a war on innocent civilians. The vicious Jew-hatred behind this genocide is savage. The endless demonization of the Jewish people in the Palestinian and Arab media is savage. The refusal to recognize the state of Israel as a Jewish state is savage. The list is endless.”
The Shoulder-to-Shoulder and United Methodist Church have paid for counter-posters that say “Hate speech is not civilized. Support peace in word and deed.”
Shoulder-to-Shoulder is also petitioning Metro to donate the money it makes from the “Defeat Jihad” posters to organizations that promote tolerance. The San Francisco Metro, for instance, donated the profits from the same posters to the Committee on Human Rights, and Warner hopes the D.C. Metro will follow its example. However, WMATA has no plans to donate the profits to any charities, Lukas said.
Benetta Standly, executive director of the D.C. American Civil Liberties Union, said the courts made the right decision to force Metro to display the posters, even if they are offensive.
