Muslim Terrorist Group CAIR Targets Another Conservative Talk Show Host
Patriot Games
CAIR Targets Another Conservative Talk Show Host
Sunday, November 11, 2007
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is pressing advertisers to
withdraw their sponsorship of Michael Savage's nationally syndicated radio
program because of Savage's alleged "anti-Muslim bigotry."
Savage, on his Web site, is fighting back, urging his listeners to protect
freedom of speech: "Email your representative; investigate CAIR for
manipulating the U.S. media," his Web site says.
On Nov. 1, CAIR urged "radio listeners of all faiths" to contact companies
that advertise on "The Savage Nation" to complain about an "anti-Muslim
tirade" on Savage's Oct. 29 program. (CAIR periodically issues "incitement
alerts," urging its members to contact various media outlets to express
their concerns about "Islamophobic attitudes.")
CAIR was particularly disturbed by Savage's "shouted anti-Muslim attacks,"
which it quoted as follows:
"I'm not gonna put my wife in a hijab. And I'm not gonna put my daughter in
a burqa. And I'm not getting' on my all-fours and braying to Mecca. And you
could drop dead if you don't like it. You can shove it up your pipe. I don't
wanna hear anymore about Islam. I don't wanna hear one more word about
Islam. Take your religion and shove it up your behind. I'm sick of you."
"What kind of religion is this? What kind of world are you living in when
you let them in here with that throwback document in their hand, which is a
book of hate. Don't tell me I need reeducation. They need deportation. I
don't need reeducation. Deportation, not reeducation. You can take C-A-I-R
and throw 'em out of my country. I'd raise the American flag and I'd get out
my trumpet if you did it. Without due process. You can take your due process
and shove it."
"What sane nation that worships the U.S. Constitution, which is the greatest
document of freedom ever written, would bring in people who worship a book
that tells them the exact opposite. Make no mistake about it, the Quran is
not a document of freedom. The Quran is a document of slavery and chattel.
It teaches you that you are a slave."
CAIR also complained that Savage has a "long history of rhetorical attacks
on Muslims and other minorities."
Savage's own Web site describes him as "explosive conservative radio talk
show host" who "continues to dominate the airwaves with his brash commentary
and unapologetic solutions...Savage is harder hitting than other
conservatives...a media icon who is unafraid to take on the establishment."
"...In show, books and speeches, Michael Savage electrifies and galvanizes
his audiences. If you're looking for someone with an opinion -- who isn't
afraid to tell it like it is -- he's your man."
On Nov. 2, CAIR's Minnesota chapter announced that three companies in that
state had agreed to pull their advertisements from "The Savage Nation."
And on Thursday, CAIR thanked Citrix Systems, Inc., for agreeing to drop its
advertisements from Savage's nationally syndicated program. "We appreciate
Citrix's principled action to disassociate itself from Michael Savage's
hate-filled rhetoric," said CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin in a
news release on Thursday.
"We urge other local and national companies running ads on Savage's program
to follow Citrix's example in support of religious tolerance."
What about free speech?
"Free speech is a precious right that we fully support and strive to
protect," Rubin added. "We are not seeking to curb Mr. Savage's freedom of
speech, but to demonstrate that Americans and American companies will not
tolerate hatred and bigotry."
CAIR, which describes itself as America's largest Muslim civil liberties
group, says its mission is to "enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage
dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build
coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding."
But conservative commentators who have been on the receiving end of CAIR's
anti-Islamaphobia campaigns disagree.
Radio talk show host Michael Graham, forced out of his job in the
Washington, D.C., market for refusing to apologize for remarks that offended
a Muslim group, landed a new job in Boston, Mass., last year.
CAIR, which pressed for Graham's removal, said it received complaints from
Muslim listeners who heard Graham say, "Islam is a terrorist organization,"
"Islam is at war with America," "The problem is not extremism. The problem
is Islam," and "We are at war with a terrorist organization named Islam."
Graham was suspended from his job at ABC-owned WMAL in Washington on July
29, 2005, after he refused a management request to apologize for practicing
what CAIR called "hate radio."
"When CAIR is able to quell dissent and label every critic a 'bigot,' the
chilling effect is felt far beyond ABC Radio and 630 WMAL," Graham said at
the time.
On Thursday, CAIR said radio host Michael Savage has "stepped up his attacks
on Islam and Muslims in response to CAIR's advertiser campaign."