Metro-North Railroad is reviewing its advertising policies after the latest controversial billboard linking Islam to terrorist attacks that currently appear at a handful of New Haven Line stations.
The series of billboards paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative are the latest chapter in an ongoing battle of trackside messages financed by advocacy groups on opposite sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The current ad campaign posted at five Connecticut stations on the New Haven Line -- Greenwich, Cos Cob, Noroton Heights, Darien and South Norwalk -- include the slogan “It’s not Islamophobia, It’s Islamorealism,” in red lettering on a black background. Above the slogan the poster lists the number 19,250, the purported number of terrorist attacks carried out by Islamic extremists since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Pamela Geller, a blogger who runs the AFDI and paid $10,000 for the ads attributed the number of attacks cited to a list compiled by TheReligionofPeace.com, a website which publishes a list of acts of violence it includes under the umbrella of Islamic terrorism including the killing of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and various other murders.
“I hope people will gain a new understanding of the nature and magnitude of the jihad threat,” Geller said.
Geller said the ads, which will run through Sept. 2 were bought to counter a round of platform advertisements critical of Israel that were financed by retired Wall Street broker Henry Clifford of the Committee for Peace in Israel and Palestine, she said in an email exchange.
That advertisement showed a two-color map of Israel labeled “Palestinian Loss of Land -- 1946 to 2010" showing the gradual transfer of land from Palestine to Israel through the decades long conflict, and citing an estimate by the United Nations that categorizes 4.7 million Palestinians as refugees.
Clifford, an 83-year-old Essex man who purchased the ads for $25,000 said that he is trying to present the plight of Palestinians which he feels is often downplayed in the U.S. “Our posters show historical information without any editorial comment,” Clifford said. “I am not currently planning any ads but I am considering options to definitely do something additional in the future.”
Geller said she didn’t think the advertisement unfairly linked the larger religion of Islam with those who commit terror attacks but did say by and large peaceful Muslims should reform Islam to dissociate themselves from terrorists who present themselves the true proponents of Islam.
“The ad simply states a fact,” Geller wrote. " There have been well over 19,000 jihad terror attacks since 9/11. Nowhere does the ad say that all Muslims endorse them -- the idea that it does is media fabrication.”
In a statement, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the parent organization of Metro-North said it is currently considering revising its policy on non-commercial viewpoint advertisements.
“The MTA sells advertising space to raise revenue to support mass transit operations. MTA’s existing policy for ads carried on subways, buses and trains permits both commercial and non-commercial paid advertisements,” the MTA statement read. " The MTA does not decide whether to allow a proposed advertisement based upon its viewpoint and the MTA does not endorse the viewpoint in this or any other paid advertisement. MTA is currently reviewing its policy of accepting non-commercial viewpoint advertisements.”
Last month U.S. District Court Judge Paul Engelmayer issued an injunction finding the MTA violated Geller and the AFDI’s free speech rights by rejecting an earlier advertisement it considered discriminatory against members of the Muslim religion.
In the ruling Engelmayer found that the MTA’s policy to prohibit advertisements it considered “demeaning to individuals or a group of individuals,” inhibited AFDI’s right to express their opinion publicly.
At the Darien rail station, Jonathan Suarez, 31, said he thought that advertisements whether pro-Israel or Palestinian were inappropriate for display along the rail tracks.
“If it’s upsetting people I’m not surprised,” Suarez said. “I don’t think its appropriate to be putting up those types of advertisements on controversial subjects.”
Simone Harris, of Norwalk, who commutes into the Darien station said the advertisement taken out by Geller’s group seemed inflammatory, but said it and the pro-Palestinian advertisements were just examples of a wider lack of civility in public debate.
At the Greenwich station, the ad has been ripped in half.
“They shouldn’t have it up because all it does is add to an environment where everybody is mad and fighting each other,” Harris said. “All it seems to do is insult and upset people and if people want to have their view respected they should show respect.”
Shahzad Khawaja, a Stamford Muslim said that Geller’s advertisement was unfair, and that the terms “jihad” and “Sharia” have been misrepresented by the media to be associated with terrorist violence and unenlightened attitudes.
“This is the time to bridge the gap between Islam and the West and not to create tensions,” Khawaja said. “Our Stamford Muslim community believes in giving back and we do projects to serve mankind selflessly.”
At the South Norwalk station on Monday night, Tom Grehan, a commuter said that he believed that the advertisements were protected free speech.
“Whether it is likely to make someone angry, I think it’s an appropriate place to express viewpoints,” Grehan said.