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CAIR Counters 'Defeat Jihad' Ads With Their Own

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A WMATA employee posts one of the anti-Islamic billboards in the Glenmont Metro station. The ads have provoked a range of responses this week.
Armando Trull
A WMATA employee posts one of the anti-Islamic billboards in the Glenmont Metro station. The ads have provoked a range of responses this week.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is countering provacative "Defeat Jihad" ads posted in several Metro stations this week by the American Freedom Defense Initiative.

The new CAIR ads quote the Qu'ran, saying "Show forgiveness, speak for justice and avoid the ignorant." They will go up in three of the four Metro stations with the controversial anti-Islamic ads Tuesday or Wednesday.

"And also there's an image of a Muslim girl in a headscarf smiling just to add a little human touch to the ad and to show what we teach our children, which is speaking for justice and showing forgiveness," says Ibrahim Hooper, with CAIR.

Hooper says CAIR thought it was important to respond.

"Whenever you have hate speech, the proper response is not censorship," says Hooper. "The proper response is more civil speech promoting mutual understanding."

The ads are 16 feet long and are costing the organization about $6,500.

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