New York: New York City's transit agency
has approved a bus advertisement that depicts a plane flying
towards the World Trade Centre's towers as they burn along with
a rendering of a proposed mosque near ground zero.
The ad was paid for by the American Freedom Defence
Initiative, an organisation that opposes radical Islamic
influence in the United States. The group's executive director
says she doesn't find the ad offensive.
The group sued the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority to demand it accept the ad, which was approved
Monday.
MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz says the agency doesn't
endorse the ad's views.
The plan for a mosque just blocks from the World
Trade Centre site has ignited a national debate about the
limits of tolerance and the symbolism of Ground Zero.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 09:36