All American Muslim TV Show and Lowe's: What is this about?
It's about freedom. The freedom for a rightist group like Florida Family Association. It's about Lowe's freedom to do what they think is right. It's about the freedom of hate groups in America to voice their opinions and it's about ratings for TV shows and reality TV like, All American Muslims.
In brief, Lowe's hardware was among many advertisers who backed the show and ran advertising in the time slot,a s many others did. Then, the Florida Family Association, a right wing maybe hate group began to email companies asking them to stop ads in support of the show. The group claimed it was Islamic propaganda and hides the "real" Islamic agenda to thwart American liberties and traditional values. Many of the shows advertisers were huge corporations like Lowe's, Amazon, McDonalds. Yet, only Lowe's pulled its advertising citing the show was too controversial. The other advertisers have also reduced or pulled advertising but none of these firms will publicly confirm it.
The TV show is simply a reality show that depicts a "day in the life" of five Muslim families in Dearborn, Michigan. home to the most Muslims in the US. That is it. Nothing more or less.
The uproar is that now the government is voicing its opinion from a few senators, all chastising Lowe's from their decision to yank the ads and how they are bending to a right wing group and calling for a boycott of Lowe's stores. One Muslim elected to Michigan's government wrote the CEO of Lowe's condemning the decision as it supports the hate groups, as did another Muslim senator.
Sorry to say, hate groups or conservative groups have just as much freedom of speech and opinions as the liberal left. Not allowing their freedom of expression is not America, but is in fact, the opposite that we see in Egypt, Syria and so on. Lowe's or any advertiser has a right to yank their costly ads from a show that is a lightening rod for opinions, and All American Muslim is that, political and social opinions, positive or negative. For Lowe's or any advertiser, it is about public image. For them, they want to be seen as neutral and sell to anyone, regardless of their political or social beliefs.
After 9\11, after the numerous other attacks around the world by Islamic extremists, all claiming it is the "Will of Allah" and so on, and always against Western or pro-west cultures, it was bound to become a hot topic when this TV show aired.
Get over it and move on.
