Controversial subway ad calls Islamic jihadists 'savages'

By Julie Banderas, FOX News - bio

NEW YORK -- New Yorkers are seeing something and saying something as a subway advertisement has some commuters stopping in their tracks.

"I think just sensitivities around the subways, considering that was one of the targets considered by other terror groups in the past here in the city, it's probably a bad idea," said Christopher Himes, a straphanger.

Just in time for the United Nations General Assembly, straphangers are seeing the pro-Israel ads in 10 subway stations.

"It's going to spark controversy obviously when you deem one side savages and the other side civilized," said Colby Richardson.

The ads were initially rejected, but the Council of Islamic-American Relations sued and won the right to display the ads -- granted by a district court judge.

"I am saying jihad, I am not saying all Muslims, and anyone who says that this ad is against all Muslims, in my opinion, is the true Islamaphobe," said Pamela Geller of Stop Islamization of America.

Geller has filed a lawsuit against Washington D.C.'s Metro system after the same ad was rejected there.  They've already been displayed on San Francisco's transit buses.

"I think it's unfortunate that that is there, but I do think that we live in a country where freedom of speech is something that we preserve and protect," said Cameron McCabe, another straphanger.

Muslim activist groups are calling it hate speech.

"This poster is going to do more harm to the safety of Americans regardless of which American. It's not the right thing to do," said  America Together Foundation's President, Mike Ghouse.

A coalition of organizations, including the Interfaith Center of New York, the Cordoba Initiative and Jews Against Islamophobia are denouncing the ads, calling them "dangerous."