Lowe's is taking heat for pulling its advertising from the TLC reality series All-American Muslim, about the daily lives of several Muslim families in Michigan. Conservative groups complained to Lowe's and other advertisers that the show is pro-Muslim and anti-American "propaganda." But now the home-improvement retail giant is under fire from the other side. A California state senator is threatening legal action, music mogul Russell Simmons calls the move "Islamophobic," and furious consumers are expressing outrage on Lowe's Facebook page. The company says it's sorry people are upset. Was Lowe's wrong to pull its ads?
Yes. The company should be ashamed: This is pure "cowardice," says Alyssa Rosenberg at ThinkProgress. There is nothing "radioactive" about All-American Muslim, other than the fact it angers "Muslim bashers." If anything, the show promotes family values, responsible discussions about faith, and the celebration of community. By pullings its ads, Lowe's is "rather aggressively folding to virulent Islamophobes."
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