This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Edmonton Anti-Muslim Bus Ads Removed After Outrage

Hate Bus Ads Removed

Edmonton Transit has removed controversial bus ads that labeled Muslim girls as potential victims under threat from their families.

The ads, a variation of the one pictured below, are being called anti-Muslim and racist by some members of the city's Muslim community. The ads state:

"Muslim Girls Honour Killed By Their Families. Is Your Family Threatening You? Is There A Fatwa On Your Head?"

"We can help," reads the ad, directing people to FightforFreedom.us -- which then redirects to a Typepad site operated by Pamela Geller of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI).

They target one group, and in my mind they were very discriminatory and racist, and there’s no place for that kind of bigotry on city property," Edmonton Coun. Amarjeet Sohi told the Edmonton Journal.

Complaints about the ads, which cost $2,500, prompted Sohi to order officials to take them down immediately, The Edmonton Sun reports.

The ads posted by the AFDI intended to address apparent concerns from Edmontonians that the safety of girls and women could become an issue in the city's growing Muslim community, organization president Geller told CTV Edmonton.

"If we have to suffer the slings and arrows of those that wish to protect this honour code, that wish to protect this system of misogyny and violence, then so be it,” Geller added.

The ads sparked controversy on Twitter, and among some Edmontonians, with some expressing shock that they were approved at all.

"I cannot believe this was posted in the first place," said Wendy A.

Also on HuffPost

White Power Audi

Instances of Accidental Racism

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.