An anti-Islam advertisement referring to Muslims as savages has been posted in 10 subway stations around New York City. The ad reads: “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel/Defeat Jihad.” The ad was sponsored by the pro-Israel group American Freedom Defense Initiative, which is also known for opposing the creation of a Muslim community center near Ground Zero. On Monday, Cyrus McGoldrick of the Council on American-Islamic Relations visited a New York subway station where the ads were being displayed.

Cyrus McGoldrick: “Of course I have mixed feelings about it. You know, it’s disgusting. It’s despicable. I have to laugh, as well. You know, the use of the word 'savage' is just so like classically colonialist and everything, that she [American Freedom Defense Initiative head Pamela Geller] really does a lot more harm to her cause than good. Really, us being out here, just being, you know, public and proud of our faith and our people and our city, we’re trying to unify rather than divide, to replace ignorance with information, because the war is not between the civilized and the savage, the war is between ignorance and understanding, it’s between beauty and ugliness. And we’re trying to be on the right side of that.”

The New York City Transit Authority had attempted to block the ad, but a federal judge deemed it protected speech. The ads come amidst mass global protests over a U.S.-made anti-Islam film that mocks the Prophet Muhammad.