Democrat urges Lowe's to reconsider Muslim ads
http://dervishcom.blogspot.com/2011/12/democrat-urges-lowes-to-reconsider.html
A Democratic congressman is slamming Lowe's for pulling its home-improvement ads from a reality TV show about Muslim families and is leading a campaign to get the company to reverse course.
Rep. Chris Murphy of Connecticut criticized Lowe's for "rubber-stamping basic foundational bigotry against a major American religious group" in a House floor speech Tuesday.
STORY: Protests could help show
Murphy and Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, are urging their colleagues to join them in a letter to Lowe's that urges the home-improvement chain to reinstate its ads on TLC's All-American Muslim. The show chronicles the lives of five families in Dearborn, Mich.
In a statement posted on its Facebook page Dec. 10, Lowe's said the show had become a "lightning rod."
"Individuals and groups have strong political and societal views on this topic, and this program became a lighting 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," Lowe's said.
Murphy, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring independent Joe Lieberman, chastised the company for practicing what he called "social marginalization."
"You're better than this," the congressman said.
Rep. Chris Murphy of Connecticut criticized Lowe's for "rubber-stamping basic foundational bigotry against a major American religious group" in a House floor speech Tuesday.
STORY: Protests could help show
Murphy and Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, are urging their colleagues to join them in a letter to Lowe's that urges the home-improvement chain to reinstate its ads on TLC's All-American Muslim. The show chronicles the lives of five families in Dearborn, Mich.
In a statement posted on its Facebook page Dec. 10, Lowe's said the show had become a "lightning rod."
"Individuals and groups have strong political and societal views on this topic, and this program became a lighting 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," Lowe's said.
Murphy, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring independent Joe Lieberman, chastised the company for practicing what he called "social marginalization."
"You're better than this," the congressman said.
