CAIR, WMAL / Washington, Talk Radio

DOING THEIR BIDDING

WMAL Host's Stunt Pleases Islamists







Are Islamic extremists programming Washington's WMAL Radio? Given the talk station's recent history, it's certainly a fair question.

Last year, as you may recall, talker Michael Graham was fired from the ABC- owned station after upsetting the Council on American- Islamic Relations (CAIR). And now, another on- air incident has so pleased representatives of the group that they've actually paid to issue a PRNewswire release (excerpted here):

Radio Spoof Draws Support for Nazi-Like Treatment of U.S. Muslims; CAIR Says Callers' Reaction is a 'Wake-Up Call' on Anti-Muslim Bigotry


WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- A parody of anti-Muslim bigotry on a Washington, D.C., radio station drew support for treating American Muslims in a manner similar to how the Jewish community was targeted in Nazi Germany.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said today that the reaction to the parody is a "wake-up call" for religious and political leaders who remain silent on the issue of growing Islamophobia in America.

In his 630 WMAL program on Sunday, November 26, talk show host Jerry Klein seemed to advocate a government program to force all Muslims to wear "identifying markers." He stated: "I'm thinking either it should be an arm band, a crescent moon arm band, or it should be a crescent moon tattoo." (4:00) Klein said: "If it means that we have to round them up and do a tattoo in a place where everybody knows where to find it, then that's what we'll have to do." (11:38)

[The program focused on public reaction to the removal of six Imams, or Islamic religious leaders, from a US Airways flight in Minnesota last week.]

Some callers to the program rejected dis- criminatory treatment of Muslims, but others supported Klein's statements and even suggested that even more severe measures be taken against American Muslims. "Richard" in Gaithersburg, Md., said: "Not only do you tattoo them in the middle of their foreheads; you round them up and then ship them out of this country, period." (15:58)

"Heath" in Upper Marlboro, Md., said: "I don't think you go far enough ... you have to set up encampments like they did during World War II like with the Japanese and Germans." (23:50)

Later in the program, Klein revealed that his call for discriminatory actions against Muslims was "baloney." Klein said: "I can't believe any of you, any of you, are sick enough to have agreed for one second with anything that I have said in the last half hour." (25:15)

[IMPORTANT NOTE: Listen to the entire program. Jerry Klein was NOT advocating discriminatory measures against American Muslims. He was actually ridiculing and exposing anti-Muslim bigotry.]

"The public reaction to Mr. Klein's courageous parody should be a wake-up call for American religious and political leaders who remain silent in the face of growing anti-Muslim bigotry in our society," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "Americans of all faiths must come together to marginalize extremists and to challenge ethnic and religious bigotry."

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

So what gives? Is this an attempt to again do CAIR's bidding, especially after the Graham flap kicked off this apparently harmonious relationship with WMAL-AM?

Or is it simply about a weekend libtalker looking to generate some publicity? If so, it may have worked, but at what cost? It's a pretty cheap stunt that required Klein to sell his soul to anti- American extremists. Is that part of the "progressive" agenda? Even the folks at Air America Radio never stooped this low.

And since the host appears to have set out to achieve this outcome prior to the show, how do we know these callers were real? They easily could have been planted, or screened in such a way that only the most extreme views made it to the airwaves.

As for Graham, he had this to say about CAIR's seeming partnership with the station: "I'm just delighted to see that CAIR supports ANY free speech. It's a refreshing change for them."

As this has gone down just a bit too perfectly for CAIR, something indeed smells fishy inside the Beltway.

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