CHICAGO, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Interfaith leaders in the central U.S. state of Indiana on Friday jointly denounced what appeared to be an anti-Muslim billboard and called for religious tolerance and understanding.
At a press conference in the capital of Indianapolis, religious leaders expressed their commitment to a diverse faith community, the Indianapolis Star reported on its website.
"This particular instance may be against Muslims," said John Clark, an Evangelical Christian and director of development of the Center for Interfaith Cooperation, "but if anyone is threatened or vulnerable, we all are."
The billboard, which stands next to an interstate highway near Indiana, is titled "The Perfect Man." Underneath are six bullet points to describe that man, including "married a 6-year-old," "slave owner & dealer" and "13 wives, 11 at one time."
A businessman in Virginia told Indianapolis Star he owns the billboard, but declined to say what group paid for the ad.
Faryal Khatri from the Islamic Society of North America said the billboard meant to incite hate, "but the opposite has happened."
Representatives of the Sikh and Roman Catholic communities and a rabbi were also present at the press conference.
