RNA - “The whole purpose of this campaign is to give free information about Islam to all the Americans from their Muslim neighbors and to provide a free copy of the Quran so they can get the information directly from the source,” Imam Ahmed says. Along with an 800-number and a website address, one billboard says: “Muhammad believed in peace, social justice and womens rights”.
Islamaphobia is still prevalent in some people and not all of the callers offer positive campaign critiques, he says.
“We’ve had a couple of calls where people are calling the hotline and venting their feelings out by going on a rant,” Ahmed says. “Others are calling just to inquire about Islam and Muslims and get to know them. Some have called us just to get a copy of the Quran.”
The campaign is not trying to convince anyone to convert and join the Muslim faith, he says, it’s only a tool for outreach.
“We don’t have any intention to convert people nor do we expect from this campaign that people should think about Islam from that perspective,” Ahmed says. “The only goal we have is that information is relayed to people and that they will have an unbiased impression about the religion itself.”
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