CAIR Ads Touting Diversity Rejected on Tampa Buses
The HART board of directors today rejected a request to purchase bus ads supporting diversity in the workplace — a compromise proposal that had followed previous requests to HART for an ad using the word “Jihad” and another with the word “Muslims.”
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority policy prohibits advertisements that “primarily promote a religious faith or religious organization,” so HART’s staff sought revisions to the first two requests submitted by the Florida Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The concept the board finally voted on would have featured a picture of eight adults, and the words “CAIR FLORIDA” along with the message, “Embracing Diversity at Work, Defending Civil Rights in The Community.”
Still, by an 8-2 vote, the board rejected the proposal following a discussion of how the message would be viewed in relation to HART and its policies.
Part of the discussion involved the content of the CAIR website and “Islamic” in CAIR’s title.
“You are interpreting your policy,” HART counsel David Smith said. “It is not absolutely clear.”
HART board member Kevin Beckner, a Hillsborough County commissioner, voted against rejecting the final ad proposal, saying HART should support a message pledging diversity. Board member Fran Davin also opposed the rejection, but added that it would help if the HART advertising policy were clearer.
The HART board asked its counsel to recommend clarifications to the transit company’s advertising policy.
The Tampa office of CAIR could not be reached for comment.
Tampa joins cities including Chicago, San Francisco, New York and Orlando targeted for a CAIR initiative called MyJihad, designed to emphasize the meaning of jihad as struggling uphill to get to a better place.
Supporters of CAIR, the largest U.S. Muslim advocacy organization, say both Muslim and anti-Muslim extremists have misrepresented the meaning of “jihad” to be a holy war.
The first ad CAIR proposed to the HART staff in January showed pictures of four young adults and the message, “My Jihad is to build friendships across the aisle. What’s yours?”
The same ad began running in December on 25 buses in Chicago.
After the HART staff asked CAIR to revise the wording, CAIR proposed an ad modified from one used in Texas with the message, “Proud Americans, Proud Texans, Proud Muslims.”
The HART staff recommended approval of the revision featuring the eight adults and the message of diversity, but a majority of the policy-making board disagreed.
Ted Jackovics
The Tampa Tribune