WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Anti-Defamation League and a Reform movement group have expressed concern with a decision by Lowe’s to pull its ads from a show that depicted Muslims in a positive light.
Abraham Foxman, the ADL’s national director, and Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center, both wrote to Robert Niblock, CEO of the home supplies giant, about the decision to pull ads from The Learning Channel show "All-American Muslim."
Foxman said his group was "disappointed" by the decision to pull advertising from the cable network’s reality show, which tracks Muslim-American families in the Dearborn, Mich., area, "since it appears that they took this action in response to an appeal that was rooted in anti-Muslim prejudice.”
A group called the Florida Family Association, backed by a number of anti-Muslim bloggers, has led a campaign calling on advertisers to pull their ads from the show.
The Florida group describes the show as "propaganda" hiding Islam’s "clear and present danger."
Saperstein wrote to Niblock, "We are writing to urge you to clarify the rationale of your decision to pull your ad campaign, as your reported decision was vaguely based on ‘strong political and societal views on this topic.’ We hope you will make clear your commitment to religious liberty in the context of this matter by reconsidering your decision to pull advertising in the face of anti-Muslim sentiments and establish clear policies related to your advertising practices when issues of religious tolerance and liberties arise."
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