Pamela Geller, head of the organization that was attacked in Garland, Texas, during its recent Muhammad cartoon contest, said Monday that the winning cartoon has been placed on 100 billboards across St. Louis with the accompanying tagline "Support Free Speech."
"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 a billboard ad featuring the winning cartoon by former Muslim Bosch Fawstin from our Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest in Garland, Texas," Geller wrote in an
announcement on Brietbart.com.
She said that the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) plans to submit the ad campaign for display in other cities in the near future.
Geller and AFDI members have been targeted for death by many because of the cartoons. Many Muslims consider any visual depiction of Muhammad, the Islamic Prophet, as offensive.
On May 3, two self-described jihadists attempted to storm the organization's "Draw the Prophet Muhammad" contest in Texas, but were shot dead after shooting and wounding a security guard. Subsequently, on June 2, police shot and killed a Muslim man who was wielding a knife and allegedly planned to kill Geller.
In a Tuesday
interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Geller accused movie and television producers of being afraid to offend Muslims.
"In any pluralistic society, we have to put up with being offended and even with our core beliefs being mocked. Roman Catholics have learned that. Mormons and others have learned that — look at 'The Book of Mormon' on Broadway," she said.
"[M]ost producers already are careful not to show anything that might offend Muslims, including accurate representations of jihad plotting and activity, so Hollywood is mostly already in their pocket. But this is their issue, and the entertainment industry should be on the front lines in the information battle space. The jihadists aren’t just coming for me, they are coming for all of us that believe in freedom."
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