'Truthful Man' billboard goes up to counter Indy's anti-Muslim sign

A month after an anti-Muslim billboard disparaging the Prophet Muhammad went up along I-465 and gained national attention, a Chicago-based Muslim group is firing back with a billboard of its own.

Dubbed the "Truthful Man" by the minds behind it, the billboard is a direct response to the "Perfect Man" title given to the other billboard. The two billboards are across I-465 from each other on the east side.

The new billboard reads: "The truth about Muhammad. Get a free book on his life. Call 800-662-ISLAM." Anyone who calls the number can ask any question about Muhammad or Islam and request a free biography about Muhammad. 

GainPeace, the Muslim group behind the effort, said the billboard is one part of a six-week campaign designed to educate people about Muhammad and Islam. The billboard will be up until July 30.

"We want to educate them that Muslims are not foreigners. We are not the others. We are Americans as much as any other American," said Sabeel Ahmed, executive director of GainPeace. "Muslims have been living in this country for the last five centuries. We are not fresh off the boat. ... In fact, Muslims have been living in this country way before Donald Trump's grandparents came to the USA."

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Other portions of the campaign, titled "The truth about Muhammad: Peace be upon him," include mailing out 15,000 postcards about Muhammad and creating a 30-second video to be shared on social media sites.

Anti-Muslim violence is one of the main motivators for the new billboard, organizers said.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations reported Monday that the number of hate crimes against Muslims in the first half of 2017 spiked 91 percent compared with the same period in 2016, which was the worst year for such incidents since the civil-rights organization began its current documenting system in 2013.

Ahmed said the response to the new billboard has been largely positive. So far, more than 200 calls have been placed to the number on the sign, and Ahmed said about 95 percent of them have been positive.

Most of the other callers, Ahmed said, yell in anger.

"They call and say, 'All you Muslims, go back home!' Things like that. But we nicely and politely talk to them. We remain calm and educate with kindness," he said. “We want to make sure that when people see that other billboard that is full of lies, we want to give them the opportunity to learn when they see our billboard. We want to build bridges. We want to educate our fellow Americans so we can live in peace and harmony."

The east-side billboard that sparked GainPeace's reaction went up in early June. It doesn't mention the Prophet Muhammad by name, but its claims have previously been used to disparage him and, by extension, Islam.

The original billboard could be seen from the southbound lanes of I-465, just south of East Washington Street. The new billboard sits right across the interstate, visible while driving north as you approach East Washington Street.

Indianapolis resident Abdalla M. Ali said he is grateful for the educational campaign launched by GainPeace, and he believes that his fellow Hoosiers will welcome the effort.

He noted the unity shown by people of all faiths in responding to the anti-Muslim billboard, and he knows that same unity will be present in Indianapolis as steps are taken to bring people together. 

"Really we're thankful for the community here because of their good attitude about us," Ali said. "We find good cooperation between us and other faiths. We don't have the kind of offense you see in other places against Muslim communities. They are backing us with their emotions, their calls, their writings ... and they are really giving us the courage to be able to continue and express ourselves."

Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.