Hip-hop mogul and former reality star Russell Simmons slammed Lowe's hardware store after it pulled its ads from TLC's new series 'All American Muslim,' exclusively reports Entertainment Weekly.
"This can't happen in America ... [Lowe's] needs to fix this immediately," Simmons said. "They can't get away with that, it's ridiculous. There are American principals at stake here. I can't imagine the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, the National Urban League, or any organization that fights for their own rights will allow this to happen to any other group because they know they're next."
Simmons isn't the only one upset by the homebuilding store's decision. According to the Los Angeles Times, California state senator Ted Lieu called on Lowe's to apologize for pulling its advertising from the TV show, which follows the lives of five Muslim American families from the Dearborn, Michigan area, home to one of the most active Muslim communities in the country.
Yet, according to the conservative Florida Family Association, "The show profiles only Muslims that appear to be ordinary folks while excluding many Islamic believers whose agenda poses a clear and present danger to liberties and traditional values that the majority of Americans cherish."
They then encouraged members to email the program's advertisers, the conservative organization posted a letter reportedly from a Lowe's representative, stating that the retail giant has agreed to pull its ads from the docu-series: "While we continue to advertise on various cable networks, including TLC, there are certain programs that do not meet Lowe's advertising guidelines, including the show you brought to our attention. Lowe's will no longer be advertising on that program."
Lowe's then acknowledged its decision on Twitter. "We did not pull our ads based solely on the complaints or emails of any one group. It is never our intent to alienate anyone. Lowe's values diversity of thought in everyone, including our employees and prospective customers."
However, Simmons says that pulling the ads was "a stupid thing to do," reports Entertainment Weekly, and called on the hardware company to show support the show, instead of pulling its ads.
"This is a press nightmare for them," Simmons told Entertainment Weekly. "This country is built on religious freedom. This is the kind of hate that tears this country apart."
