On May 27, 2014, AFDI submitted an advertisement that showed
Haj Amin al- Husseini, a pro-Nazi Palestinian leader in the 1930s,
smiling at Adolf Hitler beside the caption: "Islamic Jew-hatred:
It's in the Quran. Two thirds of all US aid goes to Islamic
countries. Stop the hate. End all aid to Islamic countries." AFDIs
Ad in Philadelphia
Slide 4
SEPTAs Response to AFDI On June 3, 2014, SEPTA rejected the ad,
saying that SEPTAs ad policy prohibited [a]dvertising that tends to
disparage or ridicule any person or group of persons on the basis
of race, religious belief, age, sex, alienage, national origin,
sickness or disability.
Slide 5
AFDI Sues SEPTA AFDI responded by suing SEPTA based on free
speech grounds. The First Amendment protects outrageous and even
offensive speech. The government (SEPTA is a public authority) may
NOT reject political advertisements simply because it doesnt
condone the message, the ads are offensive, or even if they contain
factual errors. Core political speech such as this receives some of
the highest constitutional protection available. Pamela Geller and
Robert Spencer, President and Vice President of AFDI
Slide 6
Final Ruling On March 11, District Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg
ruled in favor of AFDI, forcing SEPTA to run the ads for four
weeks. The ads will be on 84 buses and began appearing last
Wednesday. Judge Goldberg wrote that while SEPTAs anti-
disparagement standard ad policy was commendable, this fact
unfortunately did not clear SEPTA of its First Amendment
violations.
Slide 7
Interfaith/Interagency Strategy Coalition Formed October 15,
2014 What Have We Done? 1.Adopted RLC Statement: October 14, 2014
2.Launched Petition Site: December 2014 3.Launched Resource Site:
December 2014 4.Met with School District Leaders and Drafted Memo
for School Leaders: November 15, 2014 5.Communication with SEPTA
and the Media: Ongoing 6.Dare to Understand Community Response
Campaign: March-April 2015
Slide 8
Action Step #1 RLC Statement Adopted October 14, 2014
Slide 9
Action Step #2 Launched Petition Site: December 2014
Slide 10
Action Step #3 Launched Resource Site: December 2014
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Met with School District Leaders and Drafted Memo for School
Leaders Action Step #4
Slide 14
Communication with SEPTA and the Media Action Step #5 Media
Coverage "Quiet debut for anti-Muslim bus ads; counter-message
billboard overlooks I-76," Robert Moran (Philadelphia Inquirer -
4/2/15) "Quiet debut for anti-Muslim bus ads; counter-message
billboard overlooks I-76," Robert Moran (Philadelphia Inquirer -
4/2/15) "Head Of Local Interfaith Center: 'Anti-Islamic SEPTA Ads
Do Not Represent Our Philadelphia,'" Dom Giordano (CBS Philly -
4/1/15) "Head Of Local Interfaith Center: 'Anti-Islamic SEPTA Ads
Do Not Represent Our Philadelphia,'" Dom Giordano (CBS Philly -
4/1/15) "Philadelphia Muslims Turning The Other Cheek As Anti-Islam
Bus Ads Appear," Cherri Greg (CBS Philly - 4/1/15) "Philadelphia
Muslims Turning The Other Cheek As Anti-Islam Bus Ads Appear,"
Cherri Greg (CBS Philly - 4/1/15) "Interfaith Rally Looks Beyond
Anti-Islam Bus Ads That SEPTA Is Being Forced To Run," Cherri Gregg
(CBS Philly - 3/31/15) "Interfaith Rally Looks Beyond Anti-Islam
Bus Ads That SEPTA Is Being Forced To Run," Cherri Gregg (CBS
Philly - 3/31/15) "Contempt for SEPTA Ads Brings Groups Together,"
Eric Berger (Jewish Exponent - 3/31/15) "Contempt for SEPTA Ads
Brings Groups Together," Eric Berger (Jewish Exponent - 3/31/15)
Ongoing Communication with SEPTA
Slide 15
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Dare to Understand Community Response Campaign: March-April
2015 Action Step #6
Slide 17
DareToUnderstand.org This is the main hub for our Dare to
Understand campaign where we keep people updated on any news or
events As of Thursday, April 2 nd, we have raised over $28,500 from
donors living across America With an ultimate goal of $50,000, we
hope to spread positive images of love and understanding on taxis,
benches, billboards, and newspapers throughout the region
Slide 18
Billboard on I-76
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#DareToUnderstand
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SEPTA Press Conference with Local Religious Leaders Thursday,
March 26, 2015
Slide 23
Dare To Understand Rally at Love Park with Mayor Nutter
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Slide 24
AFDI Ads in Other Cities
Slide 25
New York
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Washington, D.C.
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San Francisco
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Chicago
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Westchester County, NY
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Edmonton (Canada)
Slide 31
How Have Other Cities Responded?
Slide 32
Transportation Authority Disclaimer: New York (MTA)
Slide 33
Transportation Authority Disclaimer: San Francisco (SFMTA)
Slide 34
New York: Talk Back to Hate In January 2013, another round of
hateful anti-Muslim ads appeared in New York City subway stations.
So we launched a crowd- funded campaign to represent the real
spirit of our city. 250 strangers came together online to buy our
own ads, and run them citywide. They raised $7,500.
http://talkbacktohate.org/
Slide 35
Washington, D.C.: CAIR Responds with Free Qurans We encourage
those who view Geller's false and inflammatory ads to visit CAIR's
'Explore the Quran' website to request a free copy of the Quran so
they can read it for themselves... Anyone who reads the Quran will
discover that it honors Jews and Christians for believing in one
God and calls on all believers to live in peace and harmony."
Slide 36
Washington, D.C.: Explore the Quran (CAIR)
Slide 37
New York: #mysubwayad (United Methodist Women) AFDI: In any war
between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized
man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad. UMW: Hate speech is not
civilized. Support peace in word and deed. #mysubwayad
Slide 38
Denver: Love Thy Neighbor "Love Thy Neighbor" ads, purchased
for $5,000, appeared on 10 buses in December 2012 and January 2013.
The "Love Thy Neighbor" message conveys "a shared concept in the
three religions," Colorado Muslim Society Imam Karim Abuzaid said.
"In Islam, we are commanded to love our neighbor, or at least act
in love."
Slide 39
Chicago: Not in my Chicago! Social Media Campaign (JCUA)
Slide 40
New York and D.C.: Fighting for Peace
http://www.mpac.org/issues/islamophobia/mpac
-to-launch-nyc-dc-metro-ads-opposing-racism- bigotry.php
Slide 41
San Francisco: #MyJihad (CAIR)
Slide 42
Washington, D.C.: #SpreadHummusNotHate A small band of Jews and
Muslims marched through one of the citys busiest squares Tuesday
(Oct. 14) shouting Spread Hummus! Not Hate! The one-day bus tour
began at the University of Maryland, traveled to a mosque in D.C.
and ended at a private residence in Virginia. Organized by the
newly formed Greater Washington Muslim-Jewish Forum, the
#Spreadhummusnothate bus tour served up pita bread and hummus a
chick pea dip savored by Jews and Muslims alike at most of its six
stops. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/1 5/spread-hummus-not-
hate_n_5989242.html
Slide 43
Country-wide: Anonymous Activists
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New York: Dean Obeidallah Fighting Bigotry with Delightful
Posters http://themuslimsarecoming.com
/blog/the-fighting-bigotry-with- delightful-posters-campaign/
Slide 46
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Interfaith/Interagency Strategy Coalition Possible Future
Action Steps
Slide 49
Possible Action Steps Pending Funding, Interest, and Capacity
Harvard Pluralism Project Case Study Interview (conducted by
Walking the Walk alumni) Essay/Poster/Speech Contest in Schools
Grassroots Educational/Mobilization Efforts Teacher Training and
Other School/Community Requests Dare to Understand Interfaith
Images Photo Exhibit Other Ideas Based on Successful Initiatives in
Other Cities Spread Hummus, Not Hate Neighborhood Bus Tour
Slide 50
If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and
fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the
remedy to be applied is more speech - Justice Louis Brandeis
(Whitney v. California, 1927)
