Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah
October 15, 2008
So you've heard about finding love on the 151 bus. How about finding religion?
That's exactly what a few Chicagoans have discovered after seeing Chicago Transit Authority buses rolling past them with giant advertisements for Islam.
A Chicago-area Muslim group called Gain Peace has spent $29,900 to place signs on 25 CTA buses serving the North Side in a month-long campaign organizers hope will help dispel misconceptions about Islam.
The sign caught Moses Robinson's eye. A 38-year-old Gary resident who works for a software company, he saw one of the buses on Canal Street when he left his office on a break. "Everything clicked into place," he said. After calling the number on the side of the bus and meeting with Gain Peace, he converted to Islam the next day.
Of course, most people interviewed at CTA bus stops downtown Tuesday hadn't even noticed the ads. And one rider thought they were inappropriate, although CTA officials say they see no problem as other ad campaigns on CTA vehicles have featured religious themes or messages.
Gain Peace says the campaign has been a success.
"We've had eight conversions, close to 400 calls and we've had close to 75,000 hits on our Web site in one week," said Sabeel Ahmed, the director for Gain Peace.
In fact, it's going so well, the group just bought six more weeks of ads.
October 15, 2008
So you've heard about finding love on the 151 bus. How about finding religion?
That's exactly what a few Chicagoans have discovered after seeing Chicago Transit Authority buses rolling past them with giant advertisements for Islam.
A Chicago-area Muslim group called Gain Peace has spent $29,900 to place signs on 25 CTA buses serving the North Side in a month-long campaign organizers hope will help dispel misconceptions about Islam.
The sign caught Moses Robinson's eye. A 38-year-old Gary resident who works for a software company, he saw one of the buses on Canal Street when he left his office on a break. "Everything clicked into place," he said. After calling the number on the side of the bus and meeting with Gain Peace, he converted to Islam the next day.
Of course, most people interviewed at CTA bus stops downtown Tuesday hadn't even noticed the ads. And one rider thought they were inappropriate, although CTA officials say they see no problem as other ad campaigns on CTA vehicles have featured religious themes or messages.
Gain Peace says the campaign has been a success.
"We've had eight conversions, close to 400 calls and we've had close to 75,000 hits on our Web site in one week," said Sabeel Ahmed, the director for Gain Peace.
In fact, it's going so well, the group just bought six more weeks of ads.
Source: Chicago Tribune
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