With Anti-Mosque Ad, M.T.A. Is Reminded of Its Limited Powers

With Anti-Mosque Ad, M.T.A. Is Reminded of Its Limited Powers

www.nytimes.com

Until, that is, this week, when a debate over a provocative advertisement thrust the Metropolitan Transportation Authority back into a fierce public debate over what should and should not be allowed in the transit system — and to what extent the authority has the right to decide that at all.

At issue was an ad submitted by a group opposed to the construction of a mosque and Islamic center near ground zero. The ad includes a photograph of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, one tower aflame, the other moments away from being struck by an airplane. A headline asks, “Why There?” an

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[edit on 8/11/2010 by ~Lucidity]

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[edit on 11/8/2010 by Mirthful Me]

Looks like the MTA caved in.

Geller wanted to put this ad on buses and in subways all over NYC.



Notice how big and scary the "mosque" is. How towering and threatening. Notice the false opening/groundbreaking date still in the ad.

It would have been an effective ad, eh? She went on for days on her website about how CBS and the MTA in NYC were refusing to run her ad. It's a veryinteresting glimpse into her mind works though, isn't it? So is her website.

Well I made an image to show how big the real Islamic center, sizewise, would look in proportion to the WTC. See the red in the lower left? That wouldbe the size of the center...maybe even not as wide, because I estimated that from the width of the old building.



The location is not exact though...remember there is no line of sight view from the proposed location of the center to ground zero.Here is aGoogleView of the actual location and the building that stands there now.

This story was on the front page of her website for days...through all her attempts to have the ad run. I have all the screen captures with what shesaid.


She threatened to sue, and it looks like they will be running this.

www.nytimes.com

[edit on 8/11/2010 by ~Lucidity]

Mod Edit: Breaking News Forum Submission Guidelines – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 11/8/2010 by Mirthful Me]

Why are you comparing the buildings?
The towers no longer exist.
That is not the picture that will be displayed on the busses. I heard her this morning saying the authorities have her on her third proposal of a picture.

Thanks

[edit on 11-8-2010 by sweetliberty]

Originally posted by sweetliberty
Why are you comparing the buildings?
The towers no longer exist.
That is not the picture that will be displayed on the busses. I heard her this morning saying the authorities have her on her third proposal of a picture.

Thanks

[edit on 11-8-2010 by sweetliberty]

Because her ad does. That's pretty obvious. Her ad makes it appear as if the Islamic center will tower as high as the towers did. The second photo shows it to scale.

I believe this particular article says they will go with her first version. I have all three if you would like to see them.

[edit on 8/11/2010 by ~Lucidity]

I think she went overboard with that first picture. There was no reason for her to use that picture.
The simple question she wants to ask is buried in it all. She failed if she was truly wanting to ask that question, imo.

Just more fear from American conservatives. So now the Islamic mosque is going to be the same size as the World Trade Center? Jesus where do these people get there ideas from? I feel sorry for being an American after reading this garbage.

I think she failed greatly if she was truly wanting to ask a simple question. She should be ashamed with the picture. Although the mosque is pictured towering in other pictures, I think she is not innocent at all. She is trying to manipulate with emotions.

She failed.

Im curious to see the final result picture though.

Number 1...as in OP.



Number 2...without plane.



Number 3...without plane, smoke, fire.



These were on her website it this order as she negotiated. Whether it's one of these that runs, or yet another. Who knows.



[edit on 8/11/2010 by ~Lucidity]

reply to post by sweetliberty


Of course she failed. She is just demonizing the mosque because she like so many others are against others religious beliefs.

reply to post by ~Lucidity


With or without the plane is ridiculous. She is bringing up that the mosque is going to be a very large skyscraper. What she's trying to do is scare what little people who read her articles into believing that the mosque is going to be as large as the twin towers. What happened to the freedom tower? I believe whoever owns the lot can sell it or have what built on it legally.

Originally posted by Romantic_Rebel
Just more fear from American conservatives. So now the Islamic mosque is going to be the same size as the World Trade Center? Jesus where do these people get there ideas from? I feel sorry for being an American after reading this garbage.

news.yahoo.com...

A Marist College poll released Tuesday found that 53 percent of New York City voters polled oppose constructing the mosque there. Just 34 percent favored the plan in the poll, which also showed a slide in Bloomberg's traditional high approval ratings.

The Marist poll surveyed 696 New York City voters July 28 through Aug. 5 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

So your saying 53% of these New York City voters polled are American conservatives?



[edit on 11-8-2010 by sweetliberty]

reply to post by Romantic_Rebel

She's pretty anti-Muslim if you ask me. This was just an issue for her to sink her teeth into to get publicity and sell more books, in my opinion. It will be interesting to see which ad runs.

reply to post by sweetliberty


Most likely! What do polls really prove? I can post a question anywhere online and get the same results. It's just pointless statistics.

reply to post by ~Lucidity


Looks like I was right. Well I guess anyone will buy anything. Look at all the celebrities who ghostwrite books and then market them.

reply to post by sweetliberty

Don't get confused and think there is just one factor at play here.

Different people have different reasons, and those who are driving the wedge issue for their personal agendas don't much care what those reasons are.

Let's not turn this into a debate about the center again. The topic here is really just the ad, and the news is that she gets to run it. It will be interesting to see reactions. Sounds like they're starting small.

Originally posted by ~Lucidity
She's pretty anti-Muslim if you ask me.

The fact that she ran ads on the buses earlier this year aimed at getting Muslims to convert suggests this too


edit to add, more on-topic:

Apparently she's not too worried about people's sensitivity about 9/11:

Asked if she was concerned that the image of the flaming twin towers might upset some New Yorkers, Ms. Geller, in a brief interview on Monday, replied: “Not at all. It’s part of American history.”

source



My opinion? Let them run. They're disgusting and misleading, but I think that's true of a lot of advertising that ends up in our public transit system. I think she thrives more on the controversy over the ads than the ads themselves.

[edit on 8/11/2010 by americandingbat]

reply to post by ~Lucidity


Oh, Im not confused and I'm not taking this at a religious point either.

I am trying to hear what everyone is saying, well not the ones who need to shove it down our throats.
www.washingtonpost.com...

A Muslim victim of 9/11: 'Build your mosque somewhere else'
I know Ground Zero is not mine alone; I must share this sanctuary with tourists, politicians, anyone who chooses to come, whatever their motivations or intentions. But a mosque nearby -- even a proposed one -- is already transforming the site from a sacred ground for reflection, so desperately needed by the families who lost loved ones, to a battleground for religious and political ideologies. So many people from different nationalities and religions were killed that day. This site should be a neutral place for all to come in peace and remember. I believe my mother would have thought so as well.

Next Neda Bolourchi explains why she and her family moved to America.

The Iranian revolution compelled my family to flee to America when I was 12 years old. Yet, just over two decades later, the militant version of our faith caught up with us on a September morning. I still identify as a Muslim. When you are born into a Muslim family, there is no way around it, no choices available: You are Muslim. I am not ashamed of my faith, but I am ashamed of what is done in its name.

She has more to say of importance than what I posted on here. I feel she shows great courage and class when writing this.

It would be great to hear from more American Muslims regardless of their position.

sl

I was responding to your post to me.


[edit on 11-8-2010 by sweetliberty]

[edit on 11-8-2010 by sweetliberty]

reply to post by americandingbat

She's a piece of work. Her headline today is something about righteous Muslims tell us Muslims are thumbing their nose at us with this center, though, so at least there is some hope that she knows "some" segment of those who follow Islam are righteous. Did that make sense? lol

Edit to add, saw your edit...thanks for that link.

[edit on 8/11/2010 by ~Lucidity]

reply to post by sweetliberty


Please, for the second time...stay on topic. There are plenty of other topics discussing the issue of the "ground zero mosque."

Again, the topic is this ad on the MTA, the psychology and taste of the ad and her right to run it or the MTA's to say or not say no, and tangentially, Geller.

By the way, CBS also refused to run it, per her website last week.

Maybe we can call it even if they let a fundamentalist Christian fly a small Lear jet into the (admittedly smaller) mosque during services? Let's settle this with some religious panache.