Lowe’s Pulls TV Ad After Florida Group Circulates Petition

TLC’s “All-American Muslims” has loss a sponsor in Lowe’s Home Improvement after a Florida group known as the Florida Family Association circulated a petition.

In their petition the group claims:

“The Learning Channel’s new show All-American Muslim is propaganda clearly designed to counter legitimate and present-day concerns about many Muslims who are advancing Islamic fundamentalism and Sharia law.

Surprisingly the hate filled agenda wasn’t met with questions or concerns from Lowe’s but instead with immediate action in which Lowe’s pulled their sponsorship for the reality TV show and then wrote:

“Individuals and groups have strong political and societal views on this topic, and this program became a lightning 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.”

In responding to the groups and Lowe’s bigotry surrounding the issue Senator Ted Lieu immediate spoke out calling the company’s decision “un-American” and “naked religious bigotry.”

Lieu continues:

“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.”

Taking a final shot at Lowe’s the senator notes:

“We want to raise awareness so that consumers will know during this holiday shopping season that Lowe’s is engaging in religious discrimination.”

If Lowe’s does not immediately offer an apology to the Muslim community and reinstate its ads Senator Lieu has said he will consider legislative action against the company.

In response to the ad pull the The Islamic Circle of North America asking their supporters to call Lowe’s and protest their ad pull.

“We urge the American Muslim community and our friends, family, neighbors and all people of conscience to call Lowe’s CEO Robert Niblock at (704) 758-2084 or Executive Support Mr. Andrew Kilby at (866) 900-4650 and respectfully complain about this decision.”

In the meantime the FFA claims that 65of 67 companies they targeted have pulled ads, among those companies are:

Bank of America, the Campbell Soup Co., Dell, Estee Lauder, General Motors, Goodyear, Green Mountain Coffee, McDonalds, Sears, and Wal-Mart.

It should be noted that one company, Amway, claims that the company has outright misled consumers about their reasons for pulling ads from the show, a move Amway says has nothing to do with the hate rhetoric being spread by the FFA.

Does anyone else find it trouble that a “family group” such as the FFA is teaching children and others to be scared of and hate a group in a country that supposedly prides itself on freedom of religion?