The cartoon won the first prize at a "Draw Muhammad" contest hosted in Texas by AFDI, a far-right anti-Muslim group that characterizes itself as a human rights advocate. The event was criticized as provocative, and was targeted by two armed attackers who were shot and killed on the scene.
In yet another controversial and arguably provocative move, AFDI President Pamela Gellar announced on Tuesday that the contest’s winning cartoon has been submitted to Washington DC’s transit system to run as an advertisement. In a statement, Gellar claimed that the ad campaign would "defend freedom of speech and stand up to violent intimidation."
The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority is now conducting a standard review of the submitted cartoon, according to Metro spokesman Mike Tolbert.
The winning cartoon depicts a caricature of an angry Prophet Muhammad, waving a sword and shouting "You can’t draw me!" Also illustrated is the artist’s hand holding a pencil with a speech bubble saying "That’s why I draw you" in response.
Gellar has said that the cartoon is "within the established American tradition of satire."
Determined to have the cartoon plastered around the capital’s transit system, Gellar has presented the issue as a crossroads for the entire nation and what it stands for. "If America surrenders at this point, the freedom of speech is a relic of history."
AFDI, which is listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, has won several court cases in the past forcing transportation authorities in Philadelphia and New York to run its anti-Muslim ads. In April the New York Metropolitan Authority placed a ban on all political ads to prevent the group from running an ad that read "Hamas Kills Jews."
The group’s advertisements have appeared in Washington, DC’s metro system in the past. In 2012, they ran a controversial pro-Israeli advertisement juxtaposing the Jewish state with the alleged threat of Islam in Washington, as well as in New York and San Francisco.
