Lowe's pulls ads from Muslim-American show

[rockdawg21]

Wow, Lowe's has some balls! I knew there was a reason I went there instead of Home Depot.

It's long, so to give you a quick summary. Lowe's had been advertising on TLC's "All-American Muslim" which documents an Arab family in Dearborn, MI. A Conservative group in Florida wrote to Lowe's requesting them to pull the ads because the show promotes propaganda that hides Muslims' true intent to Amercians' liberties and values. Lowe's cut the ads!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45637604...w#.TuZJDPLNkqM

Backlash for Lowe's as ads pulled from Muslim show

By Associated Press WCNC

updated 12/12/2011 6:46:51 AM ET

LOS ANGELES — Lowe's Home Improvement has found itself facing a backlash after the retail giant pulled ads from a reality show about American Muslims.

The retail giant stopped advertising on TLC's "All-American Muslim" after a conservative group known as the Florida Family Association complained, saying the program was "propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda's clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values."

The show premiered last month and chronicles the lives of five families from Dearborn, Mich., a Detroit suburb with a large Muslim and Arab-American population.

A state senator from Southern California said Sunday he was considering calling for a boycott.

Calling the Lowe's decision "un-American" and "naked religious bigotry," Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, told The Associated Press 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 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."

The North Carolina-based Lowe's issued a statement apologizing for having "managed to make some people very unhappy."

"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."

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," Lieu said.

Besides an apology and reinstatement of the ads, Lieu said he hoped Lowe's would make an outreach to the community about bias and bigotry.

Lieu's office said a decision was expected Wednesday or Thursday on whether to proceed with the boycott.

Lowe's said company officials are trying to make arrangements to talk directly to Lieu about his concerns and clarify the company's position.

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.

Dawud Walid, Michigan director of the 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.

Sen. Ted Lieu needs a big American kick in the butt. Any company in the FREE nation of the United States should be able to advertise (or not advertise) with whomever they choose. They don't have to apologize for anything.

If my favorite show is "Jersey Shore" and Lowe's decided to stop advertising because the guidos give NJ residents a bad name, that's their choice. If I was really so offended, I could choose to not shop there. That's pretty much the end of it. No Senator needs to get involved.

[rockdawg21]

From their Facebook page:

It appears that we managed to step into a hotly contested debate with strong views from virtually every angle and perspective – social, political and otherwise – and we’ve managed to make some people very unhappy. We are sincerely sorry. We have a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, across our workforce and our customers, and we’re proud of that longstanding commitment.

Lowe’s has received a significant amount of communication on this program, from every perspective possible. Individuals and groups have strong political and societal views on this topic, and this program became a lighting rod for many of those views. 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.

We strongly support and respect the right of our customers, the community at large, and our employees to have different views. If we have made anyone question that commitment, we apologize.

Thank you for allowing us to further explain our position.

Would be nice for all the idiots out there to realize they don't have to apologize for anything. It is their right to choose their advertising demographic.

if you go on their site, it shows that there are other companies that pulled out of the show also ... also talks about degrassi (LOL) .. didn't know they showed that in the US .. i have watched one episode of all american muslim .. personally i find sister wives more offending and immoral than anything ... maybe that show should be next on the list if it isn't already

[flo]

I keep changing my opinion on this. On the one hand, I agree that Sen. Lieu needs a big American kick in the a$$. But on the other hand, I was pretty resentful of the lefty haters spending the big bucks to pressure companies to drop their sponsorship of the Glenn Beck Show.

Then again, I never want to be on the same side of any argument as C.A.I.R.

[adamt]

big loss, muslims don't buy anything at a home improvement store anyways, if they do it is probably to build a bomb, in which case they won't be a repeat customer...























how's that for stereotypical racism

[Spiritwalker]

Good Job Lowe's!!!! Not because you are right or wrong.... But just because you took a freaking stand!!! And you aren't "shying away from it".. If more people would take the approach that this corp has... This country would be in better shape.. Take a stand.. one way or another.. have a voice!! On a personal note... Home Depot is closer to me than Lowe's... But I will drive the 1/4 mile.. to spend my $$$ with you..

[rockdawg21]

I think it's fitting. Muslims are bombing buildings, not building them. Lowe's is just saving their money by not advertising to non-builders.

[amills]

This whole controversy would be HILARIOUS! if it wasn't so scary. The politician accusing Lowe's of bigotry as a reason to restrict the freedom of the corporation from advertising during whatever show they wish is pretty hypocritical if you ask me. This is America. Lowe's has the right to advertise however they would like. Using one's power in Congress to circumvent the Constitution in order to restrict a corportations' rights is pretty scary. It just gets worse and worse every day. It really doesn't matter to me why Lowe's made this decision, the decision is theirs to make. They will live or die in the marketplace based on public opinion over that decision. This is NOT something I need my congress to be addressing. I agree with Spiritwalker thank you Lowe's for making a stand.