Fox News Allows Attack on Prophet Muhammad (CAIR Action Alert)

FOX NEWS ALLOWS ATTACK ON PROPHET MUHAMMAD
Sean Hannity fails to challenge Pat Robertson's Islamophobic rhetoric

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/19/02) - CAIR today expressed concern about what it says is a pattern of anti-Muslim bias by Fox News Channel citing Wednesday night's "Hannity & Colmes" program as an example of how the network promotes anti-Muslim hate. On that program, host Sean Hannity seemed to encourage televangelist Pat Robertson in his venomous attack on Islam and on the Prophet Muhammad.

About the Prophet Muhammad, Robertson said: "This man was an absolute wild-eyed fanatic. He was a robber and a brigand. And to say that these terrorists distort Islam, they're carrying out Islam." Instead of challenging those hate-filled remarks, Hannity said: "Reverend, how widespread do you think that fanatical interpretation is? Do you think it's mainstream? Or do you think it's the majority of Muslims?"

After Robertson replied by calling Islam "a monumental scam," Hannity said: "So Islam is a threat bigger than what most people are willing to say publicly?... Do you think it's inevitable, then, that the world is going to be in conflict, perhaps even at war, with Islam for many decades to come?"

In the program's second segment, Robertson said: "[The Quran, Islam's revealed text] is strictly a theft of Jewish theology…I mean, this man [Muhammad] was a killer. And to think that this is a peaceful religion is fraudulent."

"Our office receives daily complaints from concerned Muslims and people of other faiths who say that Fox's news and views on Islam, Muslims or the Middle East are neither fair nor balanced. Venomous and hate-filled remarks like those made by Robertson, and Sean Hannity's failure to challenge those remarks, poison the minds of ordinary viewers and can incite acts of violence against American Muslims," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.

Awad added that in just the past month, there was a shooting attack on an Ohio mosque, vandalism at Islamic center under construction in Virginia and the revelation of a detailed plan to attack some 50 Florida mosques. He also called on American religious and political leaders to repudiate defamatory attacks on the faith of Islam.

As other examples of the network's anti-Muslim bias, Awad cited Fox's inflammatory coverage of last Friday's "terror scare" in Florida, talk show host Bill O'Reilly's comparison of the Quran to Hitler's "Mein Kampf" and the network's tendency to ambush and abuse those Muslims who do appear on its programs. He did however note that Fox's "On the Record" with host Greta Van Susteren often presents fair and balanced coverage of Muslims and Islam.

In a recent CAIR survey, 45 percent of Muslim respondents said Fox News was the media outlet that exhibited the most biased coverage of Islam and Muslims. CAIR is seeking to counter anti-Muslim hate in American society with its Library Project, a campaign to encourage Muslim individuals and groups to sponsor 18-item "library packages" of books, videos and audio cassettes about Islam and Muslims for distribution to as many as 16,000 public libraries nationwide. The package contains books such as "Muhammad," a biography of the Prophet Muhammad by Yahiya Emerick. SEE: www.libraryproject.org

ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE. Fox is likely to use hostile comments to further harm the image of Islam and Muslims.)

1) Contact Fox to request that they offer fair and balanced coverage of issues related to Islam, and that the network not promote or encourage Muslim-bashers such as Robertson.

Mr. Roger Ailes
Chief Executive Officer
Fox News Channel
1211 Avenue of the Americas, Lowr C1
New York, NY 10036-8701

E-MAIL: roger.ailes@foxnews.com
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org, brian.lewis@foxnews.com, robert.zimmerman@foxnews.com, meade.cooper@foxnews.com, bill.shine@foxnews.com, hannity@foxnews.com, colmes@foxnews.com, comments@foxnews.com, Viewerservices@foxnews.com

CALL FOX COMMENT LINE: 1-888-369-4762
CALL HANNITY & COLMES: 212-301-3289
FAX HANNITY & COLMES: 212-301-4222

2) Help educate the American public about Islam by taking part in CAIR's Library Project.
GO TO: www.libraryproject.org

Coming up tonight, why is one prison in California denying black inmates their right to have visitors? Is this discrimination veiled in the guise of security? We'll debate that. First, joining us now, the chairman and founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network, the Reverend Pat Robertson.

Reverend Robertson, always good to have you on the program. PAT ROBERTSON, CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING NETWORK: Hey, it's a pleasure as usual.

COLMES: All right, sir. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops president, William Gregory, said yesterday that it would be difficult to justify preemptive attack under Roman Catholic teachings on warfare. Where do you stand on that?

ROBERTSON: I would tell the good bishop to read the book of Habakkuk in the Old Testament and see what it says about those who kill and pillage and rape and hurt innocent people, that the judgment of the Lord needs to come on them. And you know, with Saddam Hussein, 500,000 innocent Iranians killed, 5,000 to 6,000 Kurds gassed. Who knows how many Shi'ite Muslims and how many of his enemies? He actually boils them in oil. This man is a horrible monster. And...

COLMES: You know, nobody denies that. Nobody is saying they love Saddam Hussein. The question is, what is proper? What is just? Should the United States take a preemptive strike? And does that violate Christian teaching for the United States to be the one to decide we're going after this guy?

ROBERTSON: Well, somebody has got to enforce this. You know, we've been spending a billion dollars a year on that no-fly zone over there every year since the Gulf War. And we went in to help the innocent. We went in to help the oppressed, the Kuwaitis. And now others are being oppressed. And the bible says to lift the yolk of oppression from those who would hurt the innocent and the non-combatants, if you will.

COLMES: You've come on this show many times. We've talked about members of the religion of Islam on this program, your view of people of that religion. And you have often said that not enough have spoken out about the atrocity of September 11. And I want to show you the statement of the Study of Islam and Democracy, signed on by dozens and dozens of individuals and groups where they said, "We wish again to state unequivocally that neither the al-Qaeda organization nor Usama bin Laden represents Islam or reflects Muslim beliefs and practice. Rather, groups like al-Qaeda have misused and abused Islam in order to fit their own radical and indeed anti-Islamic agenda."

And this is again signatories all over the place, dozens. They speak for mainstream Muslims in America and worldwide.

ROBERTSON: You know, I hate to tell you, Alan, but that is absolute falsehood, not on your part, but on the part of those who signed it. All you have to do is read the writings of Mohammed in the Koran. He urges people to attack the infidels. He urges his followers to kill Christians and Jews. He talks about eradicating all of the Jews. This man was an absolute wild-eyed fanatic. He was a robber and a brigand. And to say that these terrorists distort Islam, they're carrying out Islam.

HANNITY: Reverend, how widespread do you think that fanatical interpretation is? Do you think it's mainstream? Or do you think it's the majority of Muslims?

ROBERTSON: I think there are many Muslims, just like there are many Catholics and there are many Jews and there are many Protestants, that don't really understand what their religion believes. And they go along. And they're just kind of easy to get along with folks.

But I think that in the Muslim world, you look at where the terror is, you look at where the dictators are, you look at where the oppression is, and it's all in the Muslim world. And I think especially with Saudi Arabia and Syria and Iran, there is a typical Muslim state. That's a Muslim theocracy.

ROBERTSON: And look what the Taliban did in Afghanistan. I mean, these people were carrying out fundamental Muslim teaching.

HANNITY: So Islam is a threat bigger than what most people are willing to say publicly?

ROBERTSON: I don't think there's any question about it. And I think the sooner we confront the enemy and say look, this is the teaching these people. You know, I majored in history in college. And we learned about jihad. Mohammed declared jihad against the infidels. And he carried that thing all the way up to Bordeaux in Spain and the Ottomans, were all the way up to Hungary on the other side of Europe.

HANNITY: What is that -- what do mainstream Muslims to think when they hear what you're saying? Is it that -- I mean, because you're going right to the heart and soul of their religion. And you're saying it's predicated on these things, take neither Christians and Jews for your friends. You talk about jihad, holy war. Some people have argued on this program no, no, that's not interpreted correctly. What -- I mean, it's a pretty direct frontal attack against them. What are they to think when they hear that?

ROBERTSON: All I would say, if you read the teachings of Jesus, he talks about peace. He talks about love your enemies. He talks about do good to them that persecute you. You read the Koran, it says wage war against your enemies. Kill them if you possibly can. And destroy anybody who doesn't agree with you.

I mean, it's all laid out in the Koran. And what is called the hadif (ph), the -- you know, interpretation of what Mohammed said, that this whole thing is in my opinion, is a monumental scam, if you really understand what went on back there in the early days of Mohammed.

HANNITY: Do you think it's inevitable, then, that the world is going to be in conflict, perhaps even at war, with Islam for many decades to come?

ROBERTSON: Unless our government and the leaders recognize the threat, the answer is absolutely yes. And when you see what's done to Christians in Indonesia, for example, when you see the persecution in Saudi Arabia. Here you look at Sudan. They killed two million plus Christians because of Shiria (ph). In Nigeria right now, they're getting ready to stone a woman to death for adultery. And it just goes on and on and on, the list of horror.

COLMES: I want to talk to you about your statement that Islam is a sham when we get back. More with Pat Robertson after this.

Later, since that brutal attack on three prison guards in August, black inmates in a California prison are being punished. Is this a blatant case of racial profiling? That's ahead on HANNITY & COLMES tonight.

HANNITY: Still to come, a brutal attack in California in a prison leads to a crackdown on some of the inmates. But why are some people screaming racism? We'll debate that. We'll tell you about it.

Reverend, look, I hate to even say this, I don't want to even think this, but I'm really coming to the conclusion that Tom Daschle and some of the Democrats seem not to have learned a lot from September 11. There is this desire, this gullibility. They're just gullible as -- they want to believe Saddam Hussein after 12 years of lie after lie after lie. And I think that lack of wisdom makes this country vulnerable and susceptible because it allows him, buys him time to get his weapons of mass destruction.

ROBERTSON: You know, Sean, he has violated seven clear-cut resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. Not one, not two, not three, but seven of them. Not to mention the additional internal discussions along the way. He stiffed the inspectors every time. He has prevented them from discovering these weapons of mass destruction. He has an estimated 600 tons of deadly gases and biological chemical agents. Who knows how much nuclear material he's got? The Ukrainians are talking about missing 200 nuclear devices. And if they fell into his hands, we may be in deadly peril from this man. He's a madman.

HANNITY: But the left doesn't get that. They want one more chance. We've got to try to allow the inspectors in. One more time. All it does is buy him time to seek new weapons of mass destruction, allows himself to create alliances with terror groups. And if he ever gets them, he may not have the means of launching them from here, but he certainly can get them to Israel. And he certainly perhaps can get across our borders if he has, you know, alliance with a terrorist organization. They don't get it. They don't get it. They didn't get it when Reagan was fighting the Cold War. They want to abolish the CIA. The left in America doesn't get it.

ROBERTSON: Well, I've read books recently. And I'm sure you have too that go back in the history. And your own book pointed it out, some of the terrible failings of our intelligence. There's a book just out about the intelligence breakdown...

ROBERTSON: ...that shows how the left, as you say, opposed virtually everything. You go back to the church...

COLMES: First of all, Daschle and Gephardt are on the same page as the president. I showed you quotes just a few minutes ago. They're on the same page. They're not even arguing with him. We had one Democrat on tonight as a guest, who's running for office in Chicago, who's finally speaking out as some -- I think most Democrats should. They're on the same page. They're capitulating. There's not even healthy debate in this country, reverend. So to say that the left, the evil horrible left is doing the wrong thing, is just not accurate.

ROBERTSON: Well, you know, they know how to put their finger up in the wind and the voters...

COLMES: Oh, come on. You didn't do any polling when you were running for president? You didn't do any polling when you were running for president?

ROBERTSON: Well, of course you do polling, but they have polled. And they've got the control of the Senate at stake. And they know they'll lose.

ROBERTSON: And the Republicans are beating them up all over the country, in South Dakota, in Iowa, and Georgia, and...

COLMES: We'll see in a few days. Let me show you something you said, the last time you appeared on HANNITY & COLMES. Let's take a look.

COLMES: What -- Pat, what would Jesus say about that kind of a comment? Liberals always lie?

COLMES: He's come back. He's sitting next to me. We have just seen the second coming. Go ahead.

ROBERTSON: You know, Jesus spoke to the Pharisees. He called them whitewashed tombs. And he said you know, you always speak a falsehood. So he talked about the devil being a liar and the father of lies. So he said some pretty rough words as well.

COLMES: All right. Is that -- do you want to interpret that as anti- liberal, bigotry? You make a blanket statement, liberals lie? Is that -- that's not a Christian like thing to say.

ROBERTSON: Oh yes, they lie from time to time. They don't necessarily lie in every word they say...

COLMES: Reverend, that seems to me like a lack of critical thinking to make such a blanket statement like that about an entire group of people. I am personally hurt. I'm very sensitive, you know. You hurt my feelings.

ROBERTSON: They're diminishing -- I'm not sure, you won't even be in that camp. You're too nice a person to be associated with the...

COLMES: You're insulting the largest religion on the planet, an entire group of people, when you make a statement like you did in the last segment. Islam is a scam. Do you want to qualify that?

This whole thing was situational. It took about 20 years to write the entire Koran. 80 percent of it comes from the Jewish and Christian scriptures. He mentions Moses 500 times in the Koran. I mean, it is strictly a theft of Jewish theology. And then he turned around and he murdered all the Jews in Medina. I mean, this man was a killer. And to think that this is a peaceful religion is fraudulent. It just is. I wish people would read the Koran itself and see what it says, because they'd be shocked.

HANNITY: All right, Reverend Robertson, always good to see you. You know what might be a good idea? I think maybe we should you bring back. And I think we need a live, maybe a half hour, an hour debate on the topic. And I don't know if you'd be willing to do that, but I think it would be very informative for our viewers.

ROBERTSON: Well, I think it's one of those things we've got to wake people up before somebody else blows up another tower or hits another military installation.

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Guess what CAIR, this is America not some Muslim run country where people are killed for speaking their opinion. Because we have freedom of speech, it gives the right for Palestinian leaders to go on television and praise bombings of innocents in Israel. It gives the Taliban the right to go on TV and praise the bombings and murder of 3000 Americans. It gives the right for people associated with Al Quada to praise the actions of Bin Laden and call for additional attacks on Americans right on our television airways.

Since this is also America, you have the right to practice your religion without worrying about your government putting a gun to your head and blowing your and your families brains all over a wall.

When and if Muslim countries start having freedom of speech for all and freedom of religion for all those living in their borders, I might consider worrying about a opinion of your God given by a free citizen of America. Until then, remember you have the right to whine, a right won for you by the very people your religion seeks to kill.

And to say that these terrorists distort Islam, they're carrying out Islam." Instead of challenging those hate-filled remarks, Hannity said: "Reverend, how widespread do you think that fanatical interpretation is? Do you think it's mainstream? Or do you think it's the majority of Muslims?"

So what's wrong with asking what proportion of Muslims support an anti-western, pro-terrorist version of Islam? How on earth does that make Sean Hannity a bigot?

No attempt from CAIR to deal with the truth or falsehood of what was said, any criticism of fanatical Islam is just bigotry. As for hate-filled remarks, Mohammed wrote the book on it. Literally.

"What kind of sick twisted 'religion' promises an eternity of fornicating with young virgins as a reward for the mass murder of nonbelieving women and children?"

What a minute...Paradise is a brothel...young virgins have to "service" the murderers..but a young mother is sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. Sentenced for what the virgins in Paradise are doing??? What the hell kind of religion is this??? Holy Mother of Pearl..they are all nuts!

Red

"Our office receives daily complaints from concerned Muslims and people of other faiths who say that Fox's news and views on Islam, Muslims or the Middle East are neither fair nor balanced. (So don't watch it). Venomous and hate-filled remarks like those made by Robertson (TRUTH), and Sean Hannity's failure to challenge those remarks, poison the minds of ordinary viewers (As opposed to that oh so wholesome venom they spew whenever they can get their face and mouth in front of a camera and microphone) and can incite acts of violence against American Muslims"

I saw the program. Pat spoke nothing but the truth. What the Muslims want is to silence all voices and beliefs but their own. If they don't like our ways, our country and our religion, they can go to hell wherever it is they came from. Nobody is forcing them to stay in this "horrible" anti-Muslim country.

I couldn't agree more. It is perplexing, to say the least, why Bush continues to allow immigration from Muslim nations when it is so apparent that Muslims will NEVER peacefully assimilate in the American Culture and way of life. Then again, Bush doesn't seem to care that our borders are overrun by hundreds of thousand of illegal aliens every year either.

"Americans have been deluded into spouting the Soccer-Momism about Islam being a "religion of peace." Actually, reading would provide dozens upon dozens of contrary examples from the last year alone.

ANN COULTER"

Is Christianity a "religion of peace"? Reading this thread alone would provide dozens upon dozens of contrary examples.

"Awad cited Fox's inflammatory coverage of last Friday's "terror scare" in Florida, talk show host Bill O'Reilly's comparison of the Quran to Hitler's "Mein Kampf" and the network's tendency to ambush and abuse those Muslims who do appear on its programs"

O'Reilly gives them a legitimacy they shouldn't have by even having them ON the program. Besides, I pity the poor fool that tries to muzzle O'Reilly who expresses both intelligence and ignorance with equal passion.

ROBERTSON: You've heard of mecca. Mecca, there is a black stone. Mohammed's father and grandfather were keeper of 360 sacred rocks at mecca. And they said there was a meteor or something that fell out of the sky. And the most important deity in mecca was the moon god. And he was the same god that was you know, Ur of Kaldez (ph) when Abraham was up there. And his name was Allah. And he had three daughters. And you remember that the Koran that he wrote into the Koran that he thinks that we should worship those three daughters, and then disciples got after him. So he took the (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And Salman Rushdie wrote about the satanic verses. This whole thing was situational. It took about 20 years to write the entire Koran. 80 percent of it comes from the Jewish and Christian scriptures. He mentions Moses 500 times in the Koran. I mean, it is strictly a theft of Jewish theology. And then he turned around and he murdered all the Jews in Medina. I mean, this man was a killer. And to think that this is a peaceful religion is fraudulent. It just is. I wish people would read the Koran itself and see what it says, because they'd be shocked.

Robertson is dead on target. As for fair and balanced that was fair and balanced. We have heard only that Islam is a peaceful religion and how Islam has been highjacked. Robertson just gave the other side. I have read some of the Koran, I have read Satanic Verses and also Islam Unveiled. Islam is not a peaceful religion and it is not just the fanatics that are killing. It is the ones who are reading the Koran and doing exactly what Mohammad said to do.

"In a recent CAIR survey, 45 percent of Muslim respondents said Fox News was the media outlet that exhibited the most biased coverage of Islam and Muslims."

And I think CNN is the most biased against rational thought, common sense and morality geared at generating hate against conservatives and Christians. His point? Last time I looked it was still legal to change the channel or turn off the TV if you don't like the programming.

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