American Muslims To ISIS: ‘You Suck!’ (Photo)

Chicago residents have been treated to a billboard flatly telling members of the Islamic State (ISIS) that they suck. The billboard was paid for by a nonprofit dedicated to promoting a positive image of Muslims in the U.S.

Launched on Aug. 5, the billboard is located on the I-294 highway running through downtown Chicago, NBC Miami reports.

“Hey ISIS, You Suck!!!” the billboard reads, depicted as chalk markings on a blackboard. “From: #Actual Muslims.”

The message reads as a lesson given by American Muslims to members of ISIS, complemented by a quote from the Quran that reads “Life is sacred.”

The billboard was paid for by Sound Vision, a nonprofit group that hopes to offset negative impressions of all Muslims during a period of mounting Islamophobia in the U.S.

“A group of American-Muslim professionals organized like-minded, concerned Muslims to raise funds for this campaign,” said executive director Mohammad Siddiqi of Sound Vision in an official press release.

Leena Suleiman, Sound Vision’s director of creative engagement, said that they chose the highway billboard to maximize the amount of exposure for their group’s message.

“We launched the campaign in light of the constant pressure on American Muslims to condemn ISIS, especially since Muslims are the biggest victims of ISIS,” Suleiman told Salon. “The statistics speak louder on how ISIS’ main target is Muslims than anyone’s opinion or feelings about the situation.”

Sound Vision has also published brochures and articles condemning ISIS as an anti-Islamic and to counter perceptions that all Muslims identify with the terrorist organization.

“That’s been a huge problem in the media,” Suleiman continued. “The very fact that ISIS is a menace to humanity, and foremost to Muslims, and not just to people of other or no faiths, is a huge piece of the puzzle that is consistently and unfortunately overlooked.”

GOP nominee Donald Trump has proposed placing a temporary travel ban on all Muslims from entering the U.S. and has questioned the loyalty of Muslim American communities.

On Aug. 4, President Barack Obama slammed Trump’s proposals as counterproductive and unconstitutional, The Guardian reports.

“The reason it’s called terrorism as opposed to a standard war is these are weak enemies that can’t match us in conventional power, but what they can do is make us scared,” President Obama said during a press conference at the Pentagon.

“When societies get scared they can react in ways that can undermine the fabric of our societies,” Obama continued. “They make us weaker, they make us more vulnerable.”

Sources: The Guardian, NBC Miami, Salon / Photo Credit: Ash-har Quraishi / NBC Miami