The ad, paid for by the group Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME), contains other equally offensive claims.

A few examples: (Along with the text of the examples cited above.)

1. 1) The ad's headline is "Arab-Moslem Fanaticism and Intransigence, Are they the root cause of Mid-East turmoil?"
2. 2) "...the hatred of the Moslem-Arab world against the West...can only be explained by comprehending the psychology and the principal religious tenets of Islam."
3. 3) Islam...originated in Arabia and it survives in Arabia in its purest and most virulent form."
4. 4) "Islam believes itself to be in possession of the holy truth,in the name of which any act of violence is permitted and encouraged."
5. 5) The ad claims Muslims "spilled forth from Arabia" and "conquered much of the world, with the sword in one hand and the Koran in the other."
6. 6) Arab and Muslim political stances "can only be comprehended and given credence by a mind obsessed with the ideology of Arab Islam."

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUEST: (Please be FIRM, but POLITE. Hostile comments are counterproductive and may harm the image of the American Muslim community. Send copies of correspondence to CAIR.)

Contact U.S. News & World Report to express your concerns about their decision to publish this offensive advertisement. Ask that the advertising department publish an apology and clarify its standards for rejecting offensive materials.
 

Contact:

TEL: 212-916-8702
FAX: 212-716-6973
E-MAIL: phagerty@usnews.com
WEB: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/home.htm
 

TALKING POINTS:

1. 1) If this advertisement made such offensive claims about any other religion, it would never have been published. Would U.S. News publish ads for the KKK or Nazis?
2. 2) Hate speech like that contained in the ad contributes to anti-Muslim stereotyping, discrimination and violence. CAIR recently issued its annual report on the status of American Muslim civil rights. The report, called "Patterns of Discrimination," detailed more than 280 incidents and experiences of anti-Muslim violence, discrimination, stereotyping, bias, and harassment. It indicated an 18 percent increase in total incidents and a 60 percent rise in discrimination cases.
3. 3) All advertising departments have standards by which they accept or reject advertising based on its content. What are the standards used by U.S. News and why were they not applied in this case?
4. 4) What does U.S. News have against Islam? In 1996, the magazine's editor-in-chief Mortimer Zuckerman claimed the Prophet Muhammad had a "doctrine" of deceit in making treaties with enemies while he was weak and violating them when he was strong. This claim was later retracted.

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