The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is launching an ad of its own to counter an ad in the St. Cloud Times last month that the group deems anti-Islam. Baptist pastor Dennis Campbell’s ad for the Granite City Baptist Church read, in part, “Moslems seek to influence a nation by immigration, reproduction, education, the government, illegal drugs and by supporting the gay agenda.” CAIR’s response ad, after the jump, bears the headline, “We are American, We are Muslim.”
“We are your neighbors,” the CAIR-MN ad states. “We are natives and immigrants. We are educated, skilled, and working hard to achieve the American Dream. We are a part of America’s history and future. We are doctors, teachers, lawyers, community activists, athletes, elected officials, taxi drivers, service workers, police officers, and business owners. We are American. We are Muslim.”
CAIR-MN president Lori Saroya said that following Campell’s ad, her office got calls from several Christian organizations saying that the views of Granite City’s pastor do not reflect those of other Christian churches.
“The reality is that Muslims are Americans who co-exist peacefully with people of other faiths,” said Saroya in a statement on Tuesday.
Here’s the CAIR-MN ad (pdf):