August 31,
2005
Sitdown Interview with Controversial Talk Show Yields Insight
One of the few bright spots for me this week amid the heart-wrenching footage of Hurricane Katrina's path of devastation has been the opportunity to meet and interview two courageous Americans who have taken the fight to the jihadists head-on. On Monday, CBN News had the pleasure of chatting with talk radio host Michael Graham on the set of his new Rightalk.com program, "Michael Graham Unleashed." As I explained in my August 24 blog, Graham was fired from ABC's WMAL radio last week for daring to label Islam a "terrorist organization" on air. Granted, that statement is undoubtedly provocative--when taken out of context. And that's exactly what ABC and the real driving force behind Graham's firing, the notorious Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), did. Here is Graham's full statement:
Because of the mix of Islamic theology that — rightly or wrongly — is interpreted to promote violence, added to an organizational structure that allows violent radicals to operate openly in Islam’s name with impunity, Islam has, sadly, become a terrorist organization. It pains me to say it. But the good news is it doesn’t have to stay this way, if the vast majority of Muslims who don’t support terror will step forward and re-claim their religion.
It's funny how a supposedly "bigoted" statement becomes a tad less controversial when placed in its proper context. It seems to me that Graham actually went out of his way to be even-handed about Islam, explicitly saying that "the vast majority of Muslims don't support terror." Yet, after complaints from the supposedly "moderate" CAIR--which has seen at least three of its former employees jailed on terrorism-related charges--ABC caved, first suspending Graham, and then firing him. Just why ABC would run scared from the radical Islamists at CAIR and can Graham is open for debate. I hope to find out this week if I'm able to secure an interview with reps from the station. Final word on this: It's plain for all to see that the overwhelming majority of the world's terrorist attacks right now are motivated by fanatics acting in the name of Islam. That's an undisputed fact--hence, Graham's comment. That's really all that needs to be said. And don't worry about Michael Graham. His new program on rightalk.com is destined to be a hit, and from speaking with him on Monday, I can tell you he's just as upbeat, gregarious and gutsy as ever. Perhaps even more importantly, he stands fully behind the statements that cost him his job at WMAL.
As for Robert Spencer, I've long had the utmost respect and admiration for his brave work on jihad, dhimmitude, and radical Islam--and after meeting him, I can say that the admiration has only grown. For someone who deals in such heavy subject matter for a living, Spencer is refreshingly good-humored and down to earth. As radical Islam's war on the West continues to rage, all Americans need to be informed about the threat we're facing. To do so, I suggest visiting Spencer's website: www.jihadwatch.org on a daily basis. If you didn't get up off the couch and try to learn at least some rudimentary facts about Islam after 9/11, shame on you. But you can make up for it by visiting Spencer's site, and, above all, picking up his new book: The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades. My interviews with Spencer and Graham will be part of a larger piece on the whole Graham controversy that will air on CBN in the coming weeks. I'll keep you all posted on the date and time.
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