A billboard, which reads “HEY ISIS, YOU SUCK!!! From: #ActualMuslims,” has been erected in St. Louis, Missouri. ISIS fighters have killed thousands of people via horrific terrorist attacks in America, Europe, and Africa. They have beheaded numerous reporters, Christians, and humanitarians in the Middle East.
According to experts, ISIS has a grip on Iraq and Syria and has been able to impose sharia law on about 8 million people. Whenever the mass murderers are making headlines, the world turns to Muslims to stand up and disavow the barbaric group.
Well, many Muslims in America are doing just that in a very blunt manner. The idea for the raw “ISIS, YOU SUCK” campaign came from a group of wealthy American-Muslims in Chicago, Illinois a few months ago.
The team contacted Mohammad Siddiq, the executive director of the Muslim non-profit Sound Vision Foundation, and together they raised the necessary funds for giant billboards all across the United States. The “HEY ISIS, YOU SUCK!!! From: #ActualMuslims” signs have been spotted in Arizona, Florida, and Illinois.
Siddiq said the group decided to launch the campaign for several reasons. They want non-Muslims to understand that they hate ISIS as much as anyone else. Moreover, they want people to know that ISIS is an extremist group of killers which does not represent their religious beliefs or their traditions. The billboards contain a passage of the Quran, Islam’s holy book, that reads, “Life is sacred.”
The St. Louis billboard, which was erected on Manchester Road this week, was paid for in part by Muslim residents living in the areas and the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis. A representative of the Islamic Foundation said:
“We just felt that it was important to make this statement and be proactive… and not in response to any particular act but… condemning what these individuals do in the name of Islam.”
Tariq Malik, a Chesterfield resident, who donated to have the billboard in his neighborhood, said:
“We as a community are trying to get the word out, you know, that we are as much affected by this ISIS issue.We need to let people know that we are much against ISIS as anyone else, if not more.”
Malik said more Muslims should speak out against ISIS. He added:
“These acts are being done in the name of religion, which really has nothing to do with the religion. It just has to do with radical people taking on their own agenda and hijacking the name of Islam.”
Most online commenters say the billboard is just a starting point and more should be done to combat extremism.
