U.S. Muslims hope new billboards reclaim Islam’s message of peace
BOSTON— New billboards in Boston, New York, San Diego and other cities proclaim what their Muslim backers say is the true message of Islam: peace and justice, not extremism and violent jihad.
The New York-based Islamic Circle of North America has erected 100 new billboards over the summer in those cities as well as in Phoenix, El Paso, Texas; Memphis, Cleveland and elsewhere, including Canada.
The billboards feature statements such as: “Muhammad believed in peace, social justice, women’s rights” and “Muhammad always taught love, not hate; peace, not violence.”
Organizers say the American Muslim community wants to reclaim the message after violent attacks by Islamic radicals, which they denounce as abusing Muhammad’s teachings.
The group’s president, Naeem Baig, said the idea for the campaign arose after January attacks in Paris by Islamist militants on the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery store killed 20 people, including the three attackers.
The perpetrators wrongfully understood the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, Baig said, and the American Muslim community wanted to reclaim their true message.
As for whether the campaign would face a tougher audience in Boston, with the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings still fresh in many people’s minds, Baig said: “That’s the whole point of the campaign; there are extremists in all communities.” Wilherm Edward, a non-Muslim who works at an auto-parts store near one of the three Boston billboards, said he thinks the campaign is a great idea.
Edward’s line of work, he said, exposes him to people from all walks of life, including Muslims.
“All the ones I’ve seen, they’re all good people,” he said.
While praising the billboard campaign as a “laudable effort,” the leader of Boston’s biggest mosque said his institution prefers to take a different approach.
“We feel our actions speak louder than words,” said Yusufi Vali, executive director of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Centre. The group aims to live the faith’s values through its food pantry and its work on affordable housing and criminal justice, Vali said.
“People appreciate your being real a lot more than the messaging and marketing,” Vali added.
“I think the way we change people’s hearts is through our actions and deeds.”