Controversial Prophet Muhammad Cartoon Group Launches Billboard Campaign

Fri, 12 Jun 2015 18:27:02 GMT — Kristen Frazao-- The American Freedom Defense Initiative, the group that planned the draw Muhammad cartoon contest that led to the deadly shooting last month in Garland, Texas, has launched a new campaign.

Across the city of St. Louis the billboards line the streets. They show a cartoon drawing of the Prophet Muhammad as a part of a free speech campaign.

The billboards are owned by a private company. Some residents are outraged by what they see.

â??I think itâ??s offensive and it needs to come down,â?? said Donna Brady.

But the American Freedom Defense Initiative says no matter how offensive to some, free speech is still guaranteed.

Judges have sided with them several times, in lawsuits filed in cities like New York and Philadelphia.

In Washington, the groupâ??s attempts to get their Prophet Muhammad cartoon signs in the D.C. metro was turned down. The metro system simply banned all issue oriented ads to avoid having to show theirs.

â??Thatâ??s kind of sad that our nationâ??s capitol is a place where the public transportation doesnâ??t even uphold the First Amendment,â?? said Jim Hanson, the Executive Vice President Center for Security Policy â?? a pro-Israel think tank.

He also says the ad campaign is raising important questions saying, â??I think the fact that any group of people decides that their offense is more important than the Constitution is a red line that we should not allow to be crossed.â??

Dr. Ghazala Hayat of the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis says she also wants the signs removed, but she doesnâ??t condone violence in retaliation.

â??Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, himself would have objective, would have said this is wrong - we do not hurt people, we do not destroy property,â?? she said.

These signs are just the latest in a campaign that has proven controversial and at times, even violent.