The Tennessean newspaper launches investigation after printing ‘horrific’ full-page ad that claims there is an ‘impending nuclear attack by Islam’
- The paid ad that appeared in Sunday’s editions of The Tennessean from the group Future For America claims Donald Trump ‘is the final president of the USA’
- It begins by claiming that a nuclear device would be detonated in Nashville and that the attack would be carried out by unspecific interests of ‘Islam’
- In a story on its website Sunday afternoon, The Tennessean said the ad violated the newspaper´s long-established standards banning hate speech
- Council on Islamic-American Relations spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said in a statement Sunday that the group believes the ad was ‘Islamophobic’
- It was not immediately known how much Future for America paid for the ads
The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville is investigating how it came to print a full-page advertisement Sunday by a biblical prophecy group that claimed ‘Islam’ is set to detonate a nuclear bomb in the city.
The ad, which featured pictures of Donald Trump, Pope Francis, and burning US flags, was credited to the Ministry of Future of America – a group that claims its mission is to ‘proclaim the final warning message’ from the Bible.
Titled ‘Dear Citizen of Nashville’, the lengthy ‘prophecy’ features several paragraphs of anti-Muslim rhetoric claiming that the Bible predicts Islam’s role is to bring ‘all men on planet earth together to combat them.’
It also stated that Trump would be the ‘last president of the US’ and warned there would be ‘another civil war’, while also discussing Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Democratic Party and the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center buildings.
The group also ran a full-page ad in Wednesday’s editions of the newspaper stating its intention to warn Nashville residents about next month’s event ‘so that they may be able to make a decision intelligently.’
The paid advertisement that appeared in Sunday’s editions of The Tennessean from the group Future For America claims Donald Trump ‘is the final president of the USA’ and features a photo of Trump and Pope Francis. It begins by claiming that a nuclear device would be detonated in Nashville and that the attack would be carried out by unspecific interests of ‘Islam’
In a story on its website Sunday afternoon, The Tennessean said the ad violated the newspaper´s long-established standards banning hate speech.
‘Clearly there was a breakdown in the normal processes, which call for careful scrutiny of our advertising content,’ Vice President and Editor Michael A. Anastasi said, adding that the paper’s news and sales departments operate independently.
The ad is horrific and is utterly indefensible in all circumstances. It is wrong, period, and should have never been published.
‘It has hurt members of our community and our own employees and that saddens me beyond belief. It is inconsistent with everything The Tennessean as an institution stands and has stood for.’
Sales executives ordered the ad to be removed from future editions, the newspaper said.
Council on Islamic-American Relations spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said in a statement Sunday that while the group appreciates that the ‘Islamophobic’ ad was pulled and an investigation has begun, ‘we would urge the Tennessean to also implement updated policies and staff training to ensure that this type of hate incident does not occur in the future. CAIR is willing to offer that training.’
It was not immediately known how much Future for America paid for the ads. According to its website, the group’s ministry warns of so-called end-of-the-world Bible prophecies whose fulfillment ‘is no longer future_for it is taking place before our eyes.’
A telephone message left with Bonnerdale, Arkansas-based Future for America wasn’t immediately returned.
Terry Heaton, who is an author and retired television news executive, including the former executive producer of ‘The 700 Club,’ said the advertisement´s claim is not supported in the Bible.
‘This idea has been debated in church circles forever, and there have been plenty of historical accounts of those who shouted that “the end is near,”‘ Heaton said. ‘Obviously, nobody has been accurate, so I think it´s safe to say this is nonsense.’