WASHINGTON — A group that got in a free-speech court fight with Metro a few years ago is back with new eyebrow-raising ads on the sides of buses.
In 2012, Metro tried to block a group called the American Freedom Defense Initiative from placing anti-Jihad ads in the Metro system.
Metro argued that they could be a threat to public safety. In the end, Metro lost a federal court fight that cost it $35,000.
Now, AFDI is back with a new ad on Metrobuses that includes a photo of Adolf Hitler and reads “Islamic Jew-Hatred: It’s in the Quran.”
The group’s co-founder, Pamela Geller, says it’s a response to ads by the group American Muslims for Palestine that appeared on Metrobuses last month.
On Thursday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a news release responding to the ads.
Anyone who can “verify the inaccuracy of a new anti-Muslim bus advertisement” will recieve a free copy of the Quran, says the release.
CAIR says the ad’s claims that the Quran encourages Muslim hatred toward Jews is inaccurate.
“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,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.
Metro confirms to WTOP that the ads are scheduled to appear on 20 Metrobuses for a total of four weeks.
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