US radio host canned after anti-Islam rant

Mon Aug 22, 6:30 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US conservative radio talk-show host said he had been fired after reportedly branding Islam a "terrorist organization" in remarks slated by Muslim groups as "hate radio."
Michael Graham said bosses at WMAL-AM in Washington, owned by the Walt Disney Company, sacked him after he refused to apologize for the remarks, for which he was suspended last month pending investigation.
"I find it absolutely outrageous that pressure from a special-interest group like (the Council on American Islamic Relations) CAIR can result in the abandonment of free speech and open discourse on a talk radio show," Graham said.
"As a conservative talk host whose job is to have an open, honest conversation each day with my listeners, I believe caving to this pressure is a disaster," Graham said in a statement.
Graham, part of a line-up of conservative talk-show hosts at the station, did not repeat his incendiary remarks, referring instead to "Islam and its tragic connections to terrorism."
He reportedly claimed last month that blame for recent acts of terrorism lay not with Islamic radicals alone but also with Muslims generally.
"The problem is not extremism," Graham told listeners. "The problem is Islam." He also said: "We are at war with a terrorist organization named Islam."
Executives at WMAL were not available to comment on the issue but said last month that the star host had "crossed the line."
"We do not condone his position, and we believe his statements were irresponsible," WMAL-AM President Chris Berry said.
Graham's departure is a victory for CAIR, which last month responded to the London bombings by joining other North American Muslim groups by issuing a fatwa against terrorism.
"Just as Michael Graham has the right to hold bigoted views, so, too, does our society have the right to live free of hatred and incitement," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad in a statement on Monday.
"We are saddened that Michael Graham would not take responsibility for his hate-filled words, but we do welcome WMAL's action as a step toward reducing the level of anti-Muslim bigotry on our nation's airwaves."
source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050822/ts_alt_afp/afpentertainment_050822223050;_ylt=AsmA0_0JNCWG8vPGohYhNoas0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MjBwMWtkBHNlYwM3MTg-