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Prophet Mohamed adverts submitted to Washington DC public transportation

Same group behind the Prophet Mohamed cartoon contest wants ads on DC buses and trains

Payton Guion
Thursday 28 May 2015 13:59 BST
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(Getty Images)

The same group that held the Prophet Mohamed cartoon contest that prompted an attempted attack by two Muslim extremists in Texas has submitted the winning image to run as an advertisement on public transportation in Washington DC.

The American Freedom Defence Initiative – which is listed as an anti-Muslim hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Centre – has said the First Amendment right to free speech protects the display of images of the prophet, which Muslims consider offensive.

The Washington DC Transit Authority acknowledged that it had received the ads and would take them under consideration.

”We are aware that an ad has been submitted,” Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said in a statement. “It is going through a review process and has not yet been approved for our system.“

The AFDI has a history of controversial statements, often with anti-Muslim rhetoric. New York City banned all political ads from public transportation recently after the group tried to run “Hamas killing Jews” ads.

Last month, the AFDI held its Prophet Mohamed drawing contest in Garland, Texas, which was interrupted when two Muslim men, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, tried to storm the event armed with assault rifles. They were killed by law enforcement before they could carry out the attack.

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