THINK PROGRESS, December 20, 2011 -- Nearly ten days ago, hardware giant Lowe’s caved to right-wing pressure and pulled its ads from TLC’s reality show about Muslim life in America. Following that decision, a storm of controversy has enveloped the corporation, leading to calls for boycotts and sparking national outcry even from members of Congress.
Today, a group of interfaith clergy plan to deliver 200,000 signatures to Lowe’s headquarters in Mooresville, North Carolina, “asking the home-improvement retailer to apologize for pulling ads from a TV show about Muslim Americans.” (For residents of North Carolina, the event will take place at 11:30 a.m. at 1000 Lowe’s Boulevard.) The coalition behind the petition-gathering includes activist and faith-based groups “Faithful America, Change.org, CREDO, Sum of Us and Groundswell.”
Earlier this week, 100 people protested at a Lowe’s in a Detroit suburb nearby where the reality show All-American Muslim is filmed. Two cast members of the show, Nader and Nawal Aoude, said the fallout from Lowe’s decision has helped give the show more attention and brought communities closer together.
“Honestly, I just want to thank this Florida Family Association for doing this,” Nawal said, “because I think what they were trying to do has totally backfired big-time.”
Nader explained that conservatives should understand that American Muslims also want to “destroy this extremism” because it’s threatening everyone’s lives. “We don’t want these extremists. We want to get rid of them. So why are they attacking us because we’re normal?” Nawal added, “Pamela Geller is upset with the fact I’m exactly like her, that I’m a working woman like her. That’s what she’s upset about.”
Posted By: Richard Kigel
Tuesday, December 20th 2011 at 10:07AM
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