NEW YORK, May 20, 2015: The human rights advocacy group the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) has announced a new ad campaign to defend the freedom of speech and stand up to violent intimidation.
AFDI President Pamela Geller said in a statement: “Because the media and the cultural and political elites continue to self-enforce the Sharia without the consent of the American people by refusing to show any depictions of Muhammad or showing what it was in Texas that had jihadists opening fire, we are running an ad featuring the winning cartoon by former Muslim Bosch Fawstin from our Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest in Garland, Texas.”
Addressing concerns that the ad would endanger people riding on public transportation, Geller explained: “Drawing Muhammad is not illegal under American law, but only under Islamic law. Violence that arises over the cartoons is solely the responsibility of the Islamic jihadists who perpetrate it. Either America will stand now against attempts to suppress the freedom of speech by violence, or will submit and give the violent the signal that we can be silenced by threats and murder.”
Geller added: “There is nothing about this cartoon that incites violence. It is within the established American tradition of satire. If America surrenders on this point, the freedom of speech is a relic of history.”
AFDI Vice President Robert Spencer stated: “Many people on both the Left and the Right are saying that we should do nothing to provoke Islamic fundamentalism. The immediate answer would seem to be that we should do nothing to provoke violent jihadis, that the prudent thing to do would be to avoid doing things that anger them. But if we did that, they would not they stop coming at us. Last September, an Islamic State spokesman boasted: ‘We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women, by the permission of Allah, the Exalted. This is His promise to us; He is glorified and He does not fail in His promise. If we do not reach that time, then our children and grandchildren will reach it, and they will sell your sons as slaves at the slave market.’
In light of that, what is the point of asking whether or not we should provoke them? They’re already provoked. A more useful question now is whether it is really productive and helpful to signal to them that we will acquiesce to their threats of violence and change our behavior accordingly, or whether we will instead signal to them that their violent threats are not going to frighten us into submission.”
The ads have been submitted to run on buses in Washington, D.C.
AFDI stands for:
• The freedom of speech – as opposed to Islamic prohibitions of “blasphemy” and “slander,” which are used effectively to quash honest discussion of jihad and Islamic supremacism;
• The freedom of conscience – as opposed to the Islamic death penalty for apostasy;
• The equality of rights of all people before the law – as opposed to Sharia’s institutionalized discrimination against women and non-Muslims.
Join the AFDI Facebook page here.
For more information, contact Pamela Geller at writeatlas@aol.com.
Blitz2b says
” You can’t draw me” “That’s why I draw you” , ….akin to….
” You can’t provoke them” ….. “That’s why we provoke them ”
Good job Pam and Robert…
Fr. Basil says
Since nobody knows what Mahomet looked like, how can you tell if a given cartoon is indeed him?
A bearded man in a beard and robe could be any mahometan.
Were someone to paint a picture of a buff man with red hair and blue eyes, it would never be me, even if labeled so.
Western Canadian says
Now, which would be a more appropriate handle for this troll?? Abdula, or Adolf??
Theodoric says
BRAVO, AFDI!
“Prophet” Muhammad’s Shariamonster, also known as “Islam,” wants to decapitate our freedom of speech. Muhammad himself began assassinating his critics soon after winning his first victory, at the Battle of Badr – and Muhammad’s Shariamonster has never ceased to follow his murderous “Excellent Example.”
Will Americans stand with the Founding Fathers, who wrote the Bill of Rights for the Land of the Free – or will we stand with the vile “Prophet” Muhammad’s vile Shariamonster, which brings oppression and violence wherever it goes?
Let’s stand with the Founding Fathers – and not with the cowardly idiots who would have us discard our most precious freedom.
Say “NO” To Muhammad’s Shariamonster, and say “NO” to Islam!
https://drawthevileprophet.wordpress.com/2015/05/11/say-no-to-muhammad-s-shariamonster/
Don McKellar says
Woohoohoo — the dhimmis and going to go BONKERS over this one! Even more bonkers than their Islamic supremacist masters! A new ultimate has been reached! Absolutely brilliant. Let the media wars REALLY BEGIN!
HEY — DON’T FORGET TO POINT OUT WHEN COUNTERING FOOLS WHO OPPOSE THIS OF THE IMAGE OF MUHAMMAD ON THE SUPREME COURT BUILDING!
Always On Watch says
Courage! The kind of courage that lovers of freedom are supposed to have!
I love it!
Americans who care about the First Amendment, stand with this initiative. If you don’t do so, next up will be art galleries, the SCOTUS facade, certain music concerts (Carmina Burana, for example), grilled pork ribs, churches, synagogues, Buddhist temples, etc. The list goes on and on.
Today, it is drawings which are being targeted. But tomorrow? An entire raft of things — including our very way of life here in America.
WhatsUpDoc says
Tomorrow I shall be donating to support this cause and request my fellow freedom of speech supporters to do the same. We are in this togeter against these murderers and their liberal collaborators.
Don McKellar says
Their collaborators are NOT liberals. They are Leftists. Left-fascists, actually. The last thing that a liberal would do would be to try and stop your freedom of speech. And no liberal in the world would EVER stand up and defend sharia law — it is opposed to all liberal ideals. But a Leftist would — mostly out of willful ignorance and an inherent determination to be authoritarian and out of a skewed racist view of the world that Leftists have.
duh_swami says
The immediate answer would seem to be that we should do nothing to provoke violent jihadis,
‘Sleeping with the enemy’…That reminds me of the antics of some people who have lived for a few days with a dozen or so poisonous snakes in a small room. If you insist on living with snakes, never make any sudden moves. The last thing you want to do is provoke that cobra..
Angemon says
Great ad. I can almost hear the whining of the lefties. Keep fighting the good fight and standing for what’s right.
Tom Cherian Mullammootil says
Conservatives should ask big grocery stores, leftist & muslim bakeries to bake cake with this cartoon. Any one who does not do it should be sued and millions won in judgement against discrimination.
Peace,
Brown Skinned Immigrant
William Lucas Harvey Jr. says
“Free Speech IS a Constitutional Right ! – GREAT for AFDI – therefor I AGREE “IN YOUR FACE WASHINGTON DC!”, especially America’s “Imperial Potus”, who IS Apparently Pro Islam, and Pro Muslim, who seems to Hate ANY “Criticism” of Islam and Muslims – as Obama Says “Islam has always been part of America” – but IS seemingly Anti America, Anti Constitution, Anti Christian, and Anti America’s Allies such as Israel.
http://www.barenakedislam.com/2015/05/21/in-your-face-washington-dc-the-bosch-fawstin-winning-prophet-muhammad-cartoon-is-coming-to-town/
http://spectator.org/articles/42095/islam-and-free-speech
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/417871/islam-and-free-speech-missing-point-garland-andrew-c-mccarthy
https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/u-s-supports-uns-suppression-of-free-speech-that-criticizes-religion/
GaryM says
And, the bumper stickers are at the printer?
Champ says
Yes I SUPPORT FREE SPEECH, and the unvarnished TRUTH about islam & company, as well …
Rezali Mehil says
Salaam all,
You can clearly see the pattern here…it was thought through many months ago…only fools didn’t see it coming.
This was always going to pan out this way …have a contest …and use the winner as a vehicle to create more havoc….put the winner on public transport…on billboards, stickers, coffee mugs, tee shirts…of course it is going to make Pamela and Robert very rich …if somewhat self concious.
You are not fooling anybody …
More Later …
Rezali
Angemon says
Rezali Mehil posted:
“This was always going to pan out this way …have a contest …and use the winner as a vehicle to create more havoc….put the winner on public transport…on billboards, stickers, coffee mugs, tee shirts…of course it is going to make Pamela and Robert very rich”
While this may, at glance, seem like a conspiracy theory hailing from the mind of a complete numbnut wrapped in tinfoil, the truth is that this idea is part of normative islam. There’s a hadith about how muhammad meet with some merchants who told him they they knew he was a messenger of God, but they had to deny it because the Byzantine emperor gave them money. This sets the basis for the islamic notion that all those who deny islam and muhammad do so out of their own selfish reasons despite knowing that islam is the only true religion and muhammad was a messenger of allah.
Western Canadian says
“While this may, at glance, seem like a conspiracy theory hailing from the mind of a complete numbnut wrapped in tinfoil, the truth is that this idea is part of normative islam”
Is it just me, or is there no real difference between the two???
Champ says
This is your brain on islam …
Western Canadian says
Fried to a crisp!
Champ says
LOL!! 😀
Bezelel says
@Rezali, That’s a splendid idea!!! I would love to see the mugs and T shirts really go viral. Why not toilet paper while we’re at it. muslims don’t use the stuff anyway. Oh, and doggy bowls and bacon wrappers. A major ad campaign!!!!! I love it!!!! Thanks.
allahbullah says
More Later …
Rezali
Ha ha ha….no mohameddan, no one is waiting for you.
VRWC member77 says
@Rezali,
That was a great staged Jihad act Pamela Geller put on in Garland. She is raking in the riches from all the fools who fell for those so called jihadis that allowed themselves to get killed.
I think the Islamophobes on the left who pretend to know something about Islam (Islam –submission…..phobia –illogical fear and cowering in the face of ignorance….dhimmitude) are in on the gravy train too. They get their tiny balls cut off for tons of cash from CAIR and the like, in exchange for becoming bashers of Islamorealists…….are you one of those Reza?