'Discover Muhammad' campaign to heal Islam's tarnished image in US

An Islamic billboard campaign in the United States is seeking to bolster the religion's image in the country, tarnished by militant attacks, by urging the people to 'Discover Muhammad' and showcasing it as a religion of love and tolerance aimed at Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

The campaign, initiated by the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), is sponsoring billboards in cities to publicise Prophet Muhammad's messages to counter a surge in anti-Islamic sentiments marked by protests, advertising campaigns, vandalism and violence, reported Huffington Post.

The organisers said that they launched the campaign in response to the deadly attack by Islamist militants on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in January.

Deputy Secretary General of ICNA, Waqas Syed, said they thought that it would be proper to educate the masses about the prophet's personality, which exemplified love and brotherhood.

The campaign is not the first attempt by a Muslim group to heal Islam's image in America, but it is the largest such effort by the ICNA.