Judge okays Muslim film ads rejected by New York subway agency

A federal judge has given approval for light-hearted New York City subway advertisements promoting a documentary about American Muslim comedians.

The ads for the 2013 film "The Muslims Are Coming!" were rejected this year by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the subway system and the rest of the nation's largest mass transit network. The MTA concluded they violated its ban on political ads.

The judge said Wednesday she can't conclude the ads created by two Muslim comedians were political. She calls it "utterly unreasonable" to let an MTA official make an arbitrary conclusion that an advertisement including the word "Muslims" is political.

The ads were supposed to run in April and May before the MTA rejected them. The MTA says it is reviewing the judge's ruling.    (AP)

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