Andrew Whitehead writes about the Michael Graham controversy in FrontPage:
Conservative talk-show host Michael Graham was suspended without pay on Thursday, July 28 by ABC Disney following threats by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) over his on-air comments regarding terrorism and Islam.
The suspension came despite repeated statements of support for Graham’s free-speech right by management at 630 WMAL in Washington, D.C.; the ABC owned stations where Graham had worked as mid-morning host. The suspension is pending an “investigation” of comments he made regarding Islam’s ties to terrorism.
“I honestly don’t know what Disney is investigating me for, unless it’s for doing a compelling talk show that gets people’s attention,” Graham said. “I thought that was my job.”
Graham was harshly criticized by CAIR for public comments linking the current theology and structure of Islam to the repeated acts of terror in its name. CAIR sent mass e-mails to its members urging them to contact ABC and demand the company punish Graham for his remarks.
The statements at the heart of the controversy reflect Graham’s opinion that, as he puts it, “Because of the mix of Islamic theology that — rightly or wrongly — is interpreted to promote violence, added to an organizational structure that allows violent radicals to operate openly in Islam’s name with impunity, Islam has, sadly, become a terrorist organization. It pains me to say it. But the good news is it doesn’t have to stay this way, if the vast majority of Muslims who don’t support terror will step forward and reclaim their religion.”…
CAIR”s attack on Graham is an insult to all Americans who value the truth for several reasons. First, he didn’t say anything that isn’t true; secondly, he didn’t offer gratuitious pot-shots at Islam designed to inflame or incite hate; finally, CAIR has rarely failed to miss an opportunity to insult America”¦for them to claim Graham has insulted Islam is beyond laughable”¦it is disengenous”¦and dangerous, if CAIR gets its way.
To contact ABC Radio in Washington and express your opinion about their decision to cave into pressure from CAIR, call the General Manager, Chris Berry, at 202-686-3100 or email feedback@630wmal.com.