Detroit-Area Bus Authority Blocks Ads Offering Help to American Muslims Threatened for Leaving Their Religion
May 28, 2010
ANN ARBOR, MI – A federal lawsuit was filed this afternoon over the refusal of a Detroit-area transportation authority to display an anti-Jihad advertisement on its buses. The ad stated, “Fatwa on your head? Is your family or community threatening you? Leaving Islam? Got questions? Get Answers!”
The “Leaving Islam” ad was sponsored by the Freedom Defense Initiative (FDI), founded by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer.
The Thomas More Law Center, a public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the Law Offices of David Yerushalmi, P.C. filed the lawsuit in a Detroit federal district court against the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) on behalf of the ad’s sponsors. [Read Complaint]. The lawsuit alleges violations of Free Speech and the Equal Protection clauses of the United States Constitution.
Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), commented, “Muslim apologists rely on the fact that most Americans are ill-informed about Islam. So they easily get away with portraying Islam as a religion of peace. Americans have a right to know the truth—Islam is a religion of intolerance and violence. Traditional Islamic law prescribes the penalty of death if a Muslim leaves his or her religion. A recent case in point is the story of Rifqa Barry, the seventeen year old Ohio girl, who fearing for her life, ran away from home after her parents discovered she had converted to Christianity.”
Continued Thompson, “Christians, Jews and other non-Muslim minorities are persecuted in every country where Islam dominates.”
According to its website, FDI’s “objective is to go on the offensive when legal, academic, legislative, cultural, sociological, and political actions are taken to dismantle our basic freedoms and values.”
In the past, SMART had no problem running an anti-religion ad sponsored by an atheist organization that stated, “Don’t Believe in God? You are not alone.”
TMLC Senior Trial Counsel handling the case, Robert Muise, commented, “In Detroit, government officials grant atheists the right to express a view that God does not exist, not worrying about offending Christians. Yet, these same politically correct officials censor speech that might offend Muslims. Such blatant discrimination is offensive, and it violates our Constitution.”
The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life. It supports a strong national defense and an independent and sovereign United States of America. The Law Center accomplishes its mission through litigation, education, and related activities. It does not charge for its services. The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization. You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.
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