And the bigots and haters over at Hamas-linked CAIR, an unindicted co-conspirator in a terror funding case that has seen several of its officials convicted for terror-related crimes, are crying "bigotry." Apparently Lowe's, since it initially advertised on the misleading All-American Muslim show, must advertise on it forever or be cast out of politically correct Paradise. In a sane world, this would be called a shakedown.
More on this story. "California Senator Threatens Boycott After Lowe's Pulls Ads from Muslim-American Reality Show," from the Associated Press, December 11 (thanks to all who sent this in):
LOS ANGELES – A state senator from Southern California was considering calling for a boycott of Lowe's stores after the home improvement chain pulled its advertising from a reality show about Muslim-Americans.Calling the retail giant's decision "un-American" and "naked religious bigotry," Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, told The Associated Press on Sunday that he would also consider legislative action if Lowe's doesn't apologize to Muslims and reinstate its ads. The senator sent a letter outlining his complaints to Lowe's Chief Executive Officer Robert A. Niblock.
The retail giant stopped advertising on TLC's "All-American Muslim" after a group called the Florida Family Association complained the show was "propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda's clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values."
The program premiered last month and chronicles the lives of five families from Dearborn, Mich., a Detroit suburb with a large Muslim and Arab-American population.
"The show is about what it's like to be a Muslim in America, and it touches on the discrimination they sometimes face. And that kind of discrimination is exactly what's happening here with Lowe's," Lieu said.
The Florida group sent three emails to its members, asking them to petition Lowe's to pull its advertising. Its website was updated to say that "supporters' emails to advertisers make a difference."
Suehaila Amen, whose family is featured on "All-American Muslim," said she was disappointed by the Lowe's decision.
"I'm saddened that any place of business would succumb to bigots and people trying to perpetuate their negative views on an entire community," Amen, 32, told The Detroit News on Sunday.
Lowe's issued a statement Sunday apologizing for having "managed to make some people very unhappy." The North Carolina-based company did not say whether it would reinstate advertising on the show.
The apology doesn't go far enough, Lieu said. The senator vowed to look into whether Lowe's violated any California laws and said he would also consider drafting a senate resolution condemning the company's actions.
"We want to raise awareness so that consumers will know during this holiday shopping season that Lowe's is engaging in religious discrimination," he said.
Religious discrimination? You mean Lowe's is advertising on all the Christian and Jewish reality shows, but not on the Muslim one? Actually the show itself is a manifestation of religious discrimination, since there is no counterpart to it depicting people of any other faith.
In addition to an apology and reinstatement of the ads, Lieu said he hoped Lowe's would make an outreach to the community about bias and bigotry...."Individuals and groups have strong political and societal views on this topic, and this program became a lightning rod for many of those views," the company's statement said. "As a result we did pull our advertising on this program. We believe it is best to respectfully defer to communities, individuals and groups to discuss and consider such issues of importance."
Lieu's office said a decision was expected Wednesday or Thursday on whether to proceed with the boycott.
Dawud Walid, Michigan director of the [Hamas-linked] Council on American-Islamic Relations, said his group felt "extreme disappointment" at Lowe's "capitulation to bigotry."
Walid said he has heard expressions of anger and calls for a boycott by Muslims but said a key to resolving the Lowe's advertising controversy will be how non-Muslim religious leaders and others react to Lowe's decision.
"I will be picking up the phone tomorrow to some of our friends and allies to explain the situation to them," Walid said Sunday.
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Letter I sent to Senator Lieu,
Dear Senator Lieu,
Just a note to let you know that I disapprove of your recent threats against Lowes that if it does not reinstate its ads on All American Muslim, you will bring legislative action against Lowes. You called Lowes "un-American," and religiously bigoted. On the contrary, your threats of legislative action to control what shows a business may choose to sponsor is un-American. It is also, to be blunt, ignorant to accuse Lowes of bigotry. I have no problem whatsoever with Hindus or Hinduism, Buddhists, or Buddhism, animists, or animism, or any number of other religions. I have no problem with people of color. I have a problem with the doctrines of Islam (not all Muslims) because Islam is the only religion that has led to surprisingly widespread self-censorship among many media figures, public officials, artists, writers, and journalists who are too frightened to say anything critical about Islam. See: http://quotingislam.blogspot.com/2011/06/are-lights-going-out.html?utm_source=BP_recent
All American Muslim -- and evidently you as well -- does nothing to explore, and timidly covers up how this problem emerges from mainstream Islamic doctrine. Islam will never reform if these things are just covered up. I've no doubt you are doing and have done many good and worthwhile things as a senator. But what you are doing now is beneath contempt.