'Muslims are Coming' ads arrive on trains

As commuters ride the trains, they may notice new posters that poke fun at Muslim stereotypes. The signs were posted after a judge ruled in October in favor of a pro-Muslim advocacy group that sued

News 12 Staff

Mar 8, 2016, 4:40 AM

Updated 3,110 days ago

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As commuters ride the trains, they may notice new posters that poke fun at Muslim stereotypes.
The signs were posted after a judge ruled in October in favor of a pro-Muslim advocacy group that sued the MTA to have the signs placed in subways. Citing a policy that restricts political speech, the MTA declined to post the signs, which were supposed to be posted about a year ago.
The posters were created to promote the comedy documentary "The Muslims are Coming," which aims to dispel myths about the American-Muslim community.
"The environment that we're in right now, people talk about banning Muslims from coming in the country. They talk about Muslim registries," says comedian and filmmaker Negin Farsad. "We are at near-peak Islamaphobia right now." She says the posters will do more good in the current political climate than if they had been posted a year ago.
In response to the ads, an MTA spokesperson said, "Respectfully, we believe the judge got it wrong, but we have decided not to spend more of the public's money appealing her decision."
The ads can be seen in more than 30 train stations throughout the city.