Lowe’s was running a series of ads during the TLC reality show “All-American Muslim,” but the hardware store decided to pull the ads after a conservative group complained about the show’s “agenda.” Lowe’s is now facing backlash from Muslim groups, politicians, and American-shoppers, but the store said today that it is sticking by its decision to remove the ads.
The decision to remove the Lowe’s ad came after the store received emails from the Florida Family Association. According to the Associated Press, the conservative group said the TLC program is “propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda’s clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values.”
The Florida Family Association said that it emailed over 60 companies asking them to pull their advertisements from the show. So far, Lowe’s is the only company to do so.
Lowe’s said that it removed the ads because “All-American Muslim” was a “lightning rod for people to voice complaints from a variety of perspectives — political, social and otherwise.”
Democratic state Rep. Rashida Tlaib wrote a letter to Lowe’s expressing her concern. Tlaib, the first Muslim elected to the Michigan Legislature, said:
“I told them I was extremely disappointed that they give credibility to these hate groups. People of Muslim faith are being attacked. It’s disappointing, disheartening.”
California Sen. Ted Lieu has also expressed his disappointment with the company. Lieu said:
“Lowe’s religious discrimination is the equivalent of a company asserting that it is pulling advertising from the Christian Broadcast Network’s ‘700 Club’ because the program somehow ‘riskily hides’ the agenda of Christian radicalized groups such as Aryan Nation… That assertion would, of course, be utter nonsense and religious bigotry.”
“All-American Muslim” premiered last month on TLC. The show chronicles the lives of five Muslim families living in Dearborn Michigan. TLC spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg said that other than Lowe’s, the show has received plenty of support. Goldberg said:
“We stand behind the show ‘All-American Muslim, We’re happy the show has strong advertising support.”
CNN reports that a petition has started at signon.org to encourage companies to support the show. So far the petition has garnered close to 10,000 signatures.
Russell Simmons, Chariman of The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, said:
“This can’t happen in America, [Lowe’s] needs to fix this immediately…There are American principles at stake here. This country is built on religious freedom. This is the kind of hate that tears the country apart.”
Here’s a look at “All-American Muslim.”
What do you think of Lowe’s decision to pull its ads from”All-American Muslim?” Have you ever watched the show? Do you believe it’s “spreading propaganda” and hiding the “Islamic Agenda?”