Thanks to NPR for firing him. It is a new precedent in placing bigotry in its place following racial slurs, the N word, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism and now Anti-Islam or anti-religion. This can take us further to purge public statements in the interests of building cohesive societies for America; we have to laud this decision.
Juan made me wonder about his mind-set; was he simply expressing his bigotry or was he bashing Islam to get into the “inner circle” of big boys for fame and fortune? Islam bashing is not only fashionable, it brings big money. The right wingers give them a big hug and help them become big. It is an irresistible bait right wingers throw at greedy men like Juan. (Right wingers are those who mess with the social cohesion of our nation and attempt to set one American against the other)
Thank God again for the media to fire Helen Thomas for criticizing Israel as it set a new precedent. If she does not have the right to criticize a nation, and the media forced her out to retirement, then most certainly NPR has a right to do the right thing. http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/helen-thomas-you-cannot-criticize-israel-in-the-u-s-and-survive-1.318705
Juan can remain on Fox, but not on NPR which is usually free from bigotry. Now, it is time for all the media to follow the suit.
Mike GhouseAmericans together For Building a cohesive America
Mike Ghouse is a speaker on Pluralism and Islam offering pluralistic solutions to the media and public on issues of the day. His blogs and sites are listed at www.MikeGhouse.net
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/21/juan-williams-fired-npr_n_770901.html
Juan Williams FIRED: NPR Sacks Analyst Over Fox News Muslim Comments Huffington Post | Jack Mirkinson First
NPR announced late on Wednesday night that it has terminated the contract of longtime analyst Juan Williams over his comments on Fox News that, when he is on a plane with Muslims, “I get nervous.”
NPR’s media reporter David Folkenflik broke the news on Twitter.
Williams’ comments came during a discussion with Bill O’Reilly on Monday’s “O’Reilly Factor.” O’Reilly asked Williams if he had been in the wrong during his now-infamous appearance on “The View” last week. (There, O’Reilly’s statement that “Muslims killed us on 9/11” caused Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg to walk off the set in anger.)
Williams replied that he thought O’Reilly had, in fact, been right. He continued:
“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 did go on to tell O’Reilly that he had to be “careful” to stress that he was not talking about all Muslims when he criticized some and that America was not at war with Islam. He also compared blaming all Muslims for the actions of extremists to blaming all Christians for the actions of Timothy McVeigh. (O’Reilly responded that he was “done” being careful.)
In a statement, NPR said that it had informed Williams of its decision on Wednesday night, and that his remarks were “inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.”
Williams had been a contributor and analyst at NPR for decades, but his dual role on Fox News — where he has also been a longtime and frequent contributor — drew so many complaints from NPR’s listeners that it asked Fox News to stop identifying Williams as an “NPR News Political Analyst” in 2009.