A Judeo-Christian law firm that fights for faith and freedom has filed a federal lawsuit against the District of Columbia Transit Authority over its decision against running a pro-Israel, anti-Jihad advertisement.
The American Freedom Law Center (AFLC) is representing the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), founded by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer. At issue is the group's pro-Israel, anti-Jihad advertisement that states, "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad." The ads are designed to counter anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian bus ads, which have been allowed.
The D.C. Transit Authority is refusing to run AFDI's ads because of concerns about "the situations happening around the world" and the "security and safety" of its passengers. But Robert Muise, co-founder and senior counsel at AFLC, does not buy that "excuse."
"So essentially you have Muslims rioting and engaging in violent acts overseas in response to what they claim to be speech that is critical of Islam, and now that is being used as an excuse to suppress and censor free speech here in the United States," he reasons.
But as Muise points out, this is not the first transit authority that has refused to run such an ad.
"There certainly is a history of hostility towards my client's message. It started in Miami -- we had to threaten a lawsuit where they wouldn't run advertisements because they were -- quote, unquote -- 'anti-Islam,'" the attorney notes. "They wouldn't run them in New York. We had to sue and get a court order. They wouldn't run them in Detroit. We had to sue and get a court order. And now they won't run them in Washington, DC."
A U.S. district judge has scheduled an October 4 hearing on the AFLC's request.