Posted by Hemant Mehta in Well, I guess the atheist bus ad strategy is catching on. Though someone was definitely not thinking strategically in this case.
Not only are there now bus ads for Islam, they’re appearing on buses in San Francisco…
Two immediate thoughts:
First of all, I better not hear of any atheist protesting those signs being allowed on the buses. If we want our ads on buses, we need to support free speech for them, too.
Secondly, that sign is *so* ineffective. Atheists are clearly much better at designing catchy, welcoming, pleasant bus advertising 
Good for us.
Not only that, but if you go to the website in question, the gay people in San Francisco will be happily enlightened, I’m sure:
What Does Islam Say About Homosexuality?
…
Islam teaches that homosexual acts are sinful and punishable by God. This teaching comes not from human beings, but from the Creator of all humans. God tells us in His own words how He punished the people of Lot for their homosexual behaviour.
Yep. I’m convinced. I’m sure the gay people are, too. Anyone else ready to convert?
…
What other religious advertising will we see in the near future?
Where would be a good place (or not-so-good place) for that religion to advertise?
(via Zomblog)
Scientology: The best way to talk over other people without flinching.
Am I the only one who thinks the word “submission” in bold followed by a phone number is vaguely erotic?
Ads:
How about for FSM? In any restaurants that serve pasta or spaghetti. Each time you get an order, you also receive a card or there is just a poster near by of “You have been touched by his noodly appendage” or “Praise FSM! For this meal is him sacrificing himself or his beloved children to you! rAmen”
Or something like that.
I’ll keep my eyes open for that next time I’m in ‘Frisco (the locals get REALLY upset when you call it that, which, really, just encourages me to do so) – probably in a couple of weeks.
Anyway, the ad does seem ineffective in that it highlights “submission” – bad from an advertising point of view – though I suspect that the sponsors are okay with that.
“There probably is a rainbow bridge. So fight like hell, you cowardly bastards.” — Americans for Odin
“Feeling lost and far from home? Kali understands.” — A message from the North American Thuggee Association.
“Invite a stranger into your home — or the shit will hit the fan.” — A message from Zeus.
“Trust me, it’ll be great.” — Anansi the spider.
“Honor me, enjoy the bounty of the land, and be immune to the White Man’s bullets.” — Wakan Tanka.
“In your time of greatest need, I will return in the form of a white dude with a beard and make everything okay.” — Quetzelcoatl
“For my father so loved the world, that he gave me as a gift to suffer and die so that no one who believes in me should ever die again.” — American Mithraists
“For my father so loved the world, that he gave me as a gift to suffer and die so that no one who believes in me should ever die again.” — Ask me about the mysteries of Osiris!
“For my father so loved the world, that he gave me as a gift to suffer and die so that no one who believes in me should ever die again.” — Screw Osiris! Ask me about the mysteries of
DionysusHeracles!I won’t complain about this ad, but can I point at laugh at it? This ad is so crappily done that anyone who converts to Islam as a direct result of this add, I don’t think we want in our gene pool.
I don’t really have a problem with this kind of ad, the only ones that I protest are the ones that insult because they have different beliefs. One example is the one a group in UK wants to put up, the one that calls non-believers fools.
They are, as far as I am concerned, fair game for protest.
This one? Not even worth the effort. Islam really needs to get a better PR agent.
Faith Airlines – Thank God!
…that our pilots and mechanics believe
…in science
If you land and live, brother, its not a Miracle.
Blessed Nuclear Power Facility – If God meant us to have nuclear waste, she will make sure it never goes away.
Free market capitalism — like a blow up doll in an iron maiden.
How about for FSM? In any restaurants that serve pasta or spaghetti. Each time you get an order, you also receive a card or there is just a poster near by of “You have been touched by his noodly appendage” or “Praise FSM! For this meal is him sacrificing himself or his beloved children to you! rAmen”
Or something like that.
The coolest part about FSM is that, when you go to partake of the body of FSM, it actually is the body of FSM~ Because FSM is spaghetti.
Ok… gotta be the meds kicking in… because I read the sign as saying:
I SLAM submission to god.
I’m having a hard time coming up with a worse ad that would not offend Islamic people. This is so terrible.
They could use a PR firm. The font, size, & bruskness of the word “ISLAM”, & the colors of the whole ad, just don’t leave me feeling like I want to buy the product.
IMO, they should have changed the focus, maybe just saying “Submission to God” then below that “Want to find out more?” then the website & phone number at the bottom. That might catch the eye of people who are feeling like their lives are out of control & that submitting to a higher power could be a good thing.
Or, they could use the description I’ve heard centrist Moslems say (in news stories, etc) about Islam: “The most beautiful religion in the world”. That would be followed by “Find out more:” then the website & phone number. That could be intriguing to ad-readers, esp in California.
Common thread in these suggestions is: Downplay the name of the religion – don’t you guys (writing the ad) know it doesn’t have such a good reputation these days??
For some reason I just want to paint a big “J” on that sign just in front of the “ISLAM”.
Sky writing ads could take off (!)
I think the religious could use;
“I’m watching you, God.”
And the atheists:
“Stop looking up, there’s no one here.”
The homosexual thing is just funny, especially when you consider all the other f’ed up garbage in the Koran.
I can’t quote it literally, but I was told in a religious studies class that many early Muslims were lonesome shepherds and that the Koran says its alright to have sex with sheep (as long as it is of the opposite sex).
So bestiality is fine, but hawt stinky butts3chs with a fellow human is immoral?
I just wonder what they think about hawt stinky butts3chs between male sheep and male human…
I have absolutely no objection to an ad such as that, other than the fact that it’s just so dull. Where’s the nifty beheadings and the virgins and the bit about the yellow cow and the hoiven glaven?
6/10 Must try harder.
Well, really what more could you want?
Also, they totally should have waited for the Folsom Street Fair to debut that ad.
Am I crazy in wondering who in their right mind would want to convert to Islam? What am I missing here?
I feel so good seeing how the religious understand so little the minds of people who don’t already subscribe. Submission is supposed to appeal to modern Americans?
This stuff just isn’t as appealing as it was in the swinging twelve-sixties. It gives me real hope that religion only continues to exist as an anachronism. Hooray!
I thought this advert was an atheist, anti-Islamic one at first.
Why on earth would you WANT to shout about your religion meaning ’submission’?
well I just had two converts to Mormonism in my clinic trying to get me to ’sort out’ their ‘rebellious’ child lol
I felt like saying- “WTF? CONVERTS? have you read the Book of Mormon? no wonder she is ‘rebelling’”- but I was professional and polite and sent them to get help at their church / temple whatever
I took that as a challenge.
To save them some effort, I’ve come up with a bus ad for the Co$ (click to embiggen).
well, I looked at that ad and thought wow, except for the zillion font ISLAM on top, sounds like my old Christian Church’s teaching. They were big on submission. Wives submit to husbands, husbands submit to Jesus, children submit to parents, congregants, submit to your accountability partners…submit, submit submit to someone else’s authority.
I think that seeing the word submit with ISLAM overhead may have pierced my submitted fog back in the day. Maybe it will do that for someone. Although I’m not sure just how much submitted fog there is in SF!
@ Eliza:
Islam has a very different concept of success. Its not ‘the more people you convert the more successful you are’. This is a duty of all Muslim to call others to Islam. What I mean is if I wanted to sell a product and my ad does not attract enough attention then that is a loss for me. In Islam you do not have that sense of desperation. Because Allah will take into account what you intended rather than what you achieved. However, I think you have a valid point, the ad would have been more effective in your way. But isn’t that wonderful? When every other ad is trying to sell you products by manipulating your thoughts, doesn’t this simple ad have a wonderful freshness and honesty in it?
Does anyone else read an OR ELSE underneath that add?
[...] More: Islamic Bus Ads in San Francisco | Friendly Atheist by Hemant Mehta [...]
I slam, you slam, we all slam for ISLAM.
The FAQ is a fountain of misinformation and lies, especially when they try to explain away the mistreatment of women:
Did anyone read their site’s article on the decline of atheism? I thought non-belief was growing faster than religious belief, last I checked? All their arguments are based on 19th century evolution theories which they combat with 21st century creationist arguments and they make false claims about atheists. Like how they claim that atheists say the universe came out about by chance or that atheists are against the big bang theory because deep down, they know it proves Allah is real. It’s amazing how Muslim creationists use all the same identical arguments as Christian creationists. And why do creationists always try to link atheism to communism?
That ad is so dull. I just don’t see how it would move anyone. Maybe they’re trying to get more boring people to join Islam so they can promote a more peaceful and subdued image.
@Saqib
Nothing that old and tired could ever be considered fresh. And as for honesty, it’s like defending someone who is openly racist – sure it’s sickening, but it’s honest, so in some way that makes it ok? No.
“SUBMISSION!” he says in the movie announcer voice.
Can I try one?
ISLAM: Submit or die and burn for all eternity!
http://www.submitordie.com
877-YouSubmit
All they’re really doing is giving the literal translation of “Islam”. We got some folks on campus who hand out flyers that say the same thing.
I wonder what kind of person finds submission appealing.
I thought is was an Anti Islam ad at first glance. Hard to tell the difference.
Polly-They needed to have a picture of a young girl wearing the 7 veils on the ad.
Advertising in Funeral Parlors.
“It’s too late for your loved one, but not for you!”
What? They did too play to the infidel audience! They used the word “God”…
Just dropped in quickly to say to HP, thanks for the laughs, those are great, and now I so want to join Americans for Odin!
Viking power!
No kings,
Robert
I’m convinced Hemant! lol
That’s hilarious.
Simpletons.
Of course anyone familiar with Lot’s story knows that Lot offered up his own daughters to have sex with the crowd of men who were knocking at his door.
Ancient stories can be hilarious in the hands of morons.
The Islam bus ads in Chicago are much more interesting. Something along the lines of “Check out the religion of Moses, Abraham, and Jesus.” Before you get all persnickety and try to say that this must be Judaism, I remind you that Jesus aka Issa is all over in the Koran.
Well I missed all the fun.
I think this is a waste of money, anyone trying to gather converts is not looking to build a stable society.
It is like immigration to America, why the heck would you bring in foreigners who have apostated from their own culture (blood is thicker then water) rather then building up your community?
When stuff hits the fan does America really think it will retain the hundreds of thousands of Chinese and Korean engineers and computer programmers if China offers them bigger houses, more prestige, and better gadgets? Heck China could even offer them more women.
Apostates are not something a community should look to attract, especially when you are as weak as the Muslim community is.
The 20 million dollars spent on these ads should have gone to teaching our kids math and getting them concurrently enrolled in the community college, belief in God does not preclude one from being an Amazing Structural Engineer.
Hajji Falzur Rahman Khan was the chief Engineer who constructed Chicago’s Sears Tower, guess what he was a devout Muslim who made the pilgrimage to Makkah.
All of you atheists are silly, Evolution is essentially being propagated from the supposed works of Geo Scientists, and most of the 38,000 Geo Scientists in this country are looking for Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas, not Fossils.
The Fossil record is so minimal that no sane person would throw away 6,000 years of Culture for what a few hundred or few thousands “scientists” propagate.
[...] Debate at BIOLA as I was out of town – fortunately, while away I did get to see those dandy Islam bus ads in San Francisco first hand. While a full clip of the debate is not yet forthcoming as far as I can [...]
Why do atheist people spend so much time trying to convert believers and explaining why something they don’t believe exists doesn’t exist? I don’t believe in the tooth fairy or Santa Claus but I don’t have a web or news letter telling little kids its all a lie. Right on, so you think god is man made illusion, great, so if I am a religious person my belief has to challenged then eh? Some ( and I say some) of ya’ll are worse then those guys how knock on my door and throw pamphlets at me. Convert the converted back to the non convert is the religion of atheists? I am confused by this dogma. Maybe some one can explain this better to me as I might have my thinking wrong.
Hi MJ
I’ll be happy to answer your questions thoughtfully and respectfully if you do me one favor. Answer me back and reassure me that you are actually interested in thoughtful and respectful answers, instead of just wanting to rhetorically toss out a very familiar series of taunting, annoying misconceptions just to degrade a conversation as would a troll.
I have responded to many people with your questions and misunderstandings, and about half turned out to sincerely want to understand, while the other half were trolls. So I hope you forgive me for wanting to avoid wasting my time. I sincerely look forward to your response.