Opinion Editorials, April 2009

 California Radio Station Anti-Muslim Host, Brian Sussman, Misstates Muslim Beliefs, Mocks Islam and Political Participation by U.S. Muslims

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/2/2009) -

CAIR ACTION ALERT #572:

CAIR today called on a San Francisco, Calif., radio station to reprimand two talk show hosts for a recent segment in which they mocked Islam, misstated Muslim beliefs and cast suspicion on political participation by American Muslims.

KSFO 560-AM host Brian Sussman and co-host “Officer Vic” said during their Monday program: "Islamic finance is about living within your means and helping the needy - unless they're Jews," and “The great honorable qualities of that good old time religion: honor killings, female circumcision, not allowing women to drive…Jews are monkeys, pigs.”

Listen to the audio.

CAIR is asking American Muslims and other people of conscience to contact KSFO officials and advertisers to express their concerns about the hosts’ anti-Muslim remarks.

“Radio hosts are free to hold bigoted views, but listeners have no obligation to subsidize those views by purchasing the goods or services of companies that choose to advertise on hate-filled programs,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “So-called ‘honor killings,’ female genital mutilation and not allowing women to drive are not part of Islam. Muslims respect Jews and Christians as ‘people of the book’ who received earlier revelations from God.”

He cited the Quran, Islam’s revealed text, which states: "Those who believe (in the Quran), those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), the Sabians, and the Christians - any who believe in God and the Last Day and work righteousness - on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." (Quran, 5:69)

Hooper said this was not the first time Sussman made offensive remarks relating to Islam. In 2005, he asked a caller to prove he was not Muslim by saying "Allah is a whore." In 2007, another host at KSFO warned "enemy" Muslim nations: "You keep screwing around with stuff like this, we're going to kill a bunch of you - millions of you."

CAIR is part of the Hate Hurts America Multifaith Community Coalition (HHA), a group of religious and civic organizations seeking to challenge hate speech in American society.

HHA was formed as a result of radio talk show host Michael Savage's rhetorical attacks on religious and ethnic minorities. It waged a successful campaign to urge advertisers to stop running commercials on Savage’s program. The coalition includes public officials and civil rights advocates, as well as representatives of the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Latino, and Asian communities.

SEE: How Islamophobes Spread Fear, Bigotry and Misinformation

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.)

1. CONTACT KSFO to express your concerns about the hosts’ anti-Muslim remarks and to ask that they be formally reprimanded.

CONTACT:

Mr. Michael Luckoff President & General Manager KSFO-AM 900 Front Street Tel: (415) 954-8181 Fax: (415) 391-2795 E-Mail: mickey.luckoff@citcomm.com

Also e-mail the station: http://www.ksfo560.com/contactus.asp Copy to: jack.swanson@citcomm.com, info@cair.com, anthony.licciardi@citcomm.com, briansussman2@yahoo.com, deidra.lieberman@citcomm.com, ken.berry@citcomm.com, leerodgers@abc-sf.com, ksfordb@abc.com

2. LISTEN TO THE STATION either in the San Francisco Bay area or online at: http://www.ksfo560.com/ Take note of the contact information for advertisers and contact them to express your concerns about the hosts’ anti-Muslim views.