The conservative group 'Stop Islamization of America,' which has been in the news previously concerning its militant actions to prevent a mosque from being built near Ground Zero, has hit the headlines again. This time because they are behind a series of bus adverts in major American cities that recommend ways and means of leaving the Islamic faith. This has further heightened public debate about the general role that religion plays in society, and in particular the relationship between the State, Christianity and Islam.
The adverts which are placed on the side of city buses read: "Fatwa on your head? Is your family or community threatening you? Leaving Islam? Got questions? Get answers!"
The ads seem to be in response to recent bus advert campaigns placed by groups interested in creating a more positive image for Islam in a country where 38 percent of people polled believe Islam is more likely to encourage violence than other religions.
In New York, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community funded a campaign of adverts which say, "Muslims for Peace. Love for All – Hatred for None." A spokesperson for the group, said that their campaign was part of an ongoing effort to reclaim the public image of Islam, which he says has been "hijacked by extremists."
"It's an effort to have the Muslims, the silent majority, snatch the flag of Islam away from these extremists and hoist it above ourselves," he says.
Pam Geller, who is the executive director of ‘Stop Islamization of America’ and a self-termed "anti-jihadist," says that her bus adverts have been inspired by the real life examples of American Muslims who have converted to Christianity and then had to flee from their family and friends for their own safety. She cites the well-known example of Rifqa Bary, who in 2009 claimed her own father made death threats against her for becoming a Christian. Thus, Geller proclaims the bus ad campaign forms part of their greater “defense of religious freedom,” the aim of which is "to help ex-Muslims who are in trouble" and also "to raise awareness of the threat that apostates live under even in the West."
However, other religious rights organizations believe the campaign is nothing more than an attempt to provoke further apprehensions about a faith that, according to most studies, is still hugely misunderstood by the general public, says The Christian Science Monitor.
(To read this article in full, please go to http://www.csmonitor.com).