NPR axes Juan Williams after remarks about Muslims on Fox News

NPR has fired longtime news analyst Juan Williams after controversial remarks he made on Bill O’Reilly’s show regarding fears he has about flying with people in “garb” associated with Muslims.

The New York Times quoted Williams, who made the statements in response to remarks by O’Reilly. Williams said:

“I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

Williams also commented on the man arrested for attempting to bomb Times Square:

“He said the war with Muslims, America’s war is just beginning, first drop of blood. I don’t think there’s any way to get away from these facts,” Mr. Williams said.

On NPR’s website, the dissolution of Williams’ contract was disclosed in the third person:

NPR said it had notified Williams that his contract was being severed. The statement says Williams’ remarks “were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.”

Williams, who has tussled with NPR in the past over remarks he has made on Fox programming, has not yet commented on the remarks or their aftermath.