Lowe's Faces Backlash After Pulling Commercials from TLC's All-American Muslim
Lowe's is under fire after pulling commercials from TLC's All-American Muslim.
The home-improvement chain withdrew its spots from the reality show after the Florida Family Association, a conservative group, protested that the program about the Muslim community in Dearborn, Mich., is "propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda's clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values."
Check out photos from All-American Muslim
On Monday, California state Sen. Ted Lieu called for a boycott of Lowe's and slammed its decision as "un-American" and "naked religious bigotry," according to the Detroit Free Press.
"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.
Lowe's has issued an apology for making "some people very unhappy," but would not reinstate the commercials. "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 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."
Unsatisfied with the apology, Lieu said he'll consider legislative action if Lowe's doesn't directly apologize to Muslims and reinstate its advertising. A decision was expected Wednesday or Thursday on whether to proceed with the boycott.
Watch clips from All-American Muslim
Suehaila Amen, whose family is featured on All-American Muslim, said she was "saddened that any place of business would succumb to bigots and people trying to perpetuate their negative views on an entire community."
Meanwhile, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the biggest civil rights group for Arab Americans, urged the public on Monday to "sign on to a petition to defend our American values ... fight back against bigotry."
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