PBS Airs Commercial for Islam     12/18/2002

CWA: “Would anyone consider using taxpayers’ money to proselytize for any other religion?”

Washington, D.C. – In his weekly New York Post column, Daniel Pipes revealed yesterday that a new Public Broadcasting System (PBS) special on Islam gives only one perspective on the religion, completely ignoring modern critics of the Prophet Muhammad and dismissing the historical evidence that refutes the peaceful image of Islam that PBS has chosen to portray.

Pipes will discuss the PBS special with Sandy Rios, president of Concerned Women for America (CWA), today on radio’s Concerned Women Today. The PBS special is scheduled to air tonight on stations across the country.

“We have seen PBS promote a political agenda before, but we’ve never seen such blatant proselytizing and glossing over of the facts on public television,” said Rios. “Our nation is in desperate need of answers to pressing questions about Islam. A publicly funded program ought to examine the controversy that surrounds Islam, and respond to the fears of Americans in an honest forthright way. We need real answers. We need honesty. We need real journalism – not a slick Hollywood apologetic.

“As a women’s organization, we cannot ignore the fact that PBS has not looked at the desperate conditions that characterize many women’s lives in the Muslim world. The persistence of genital mutilation, forced marriages, sexual apartheid, polygamy and honor killings would not be ignored in a serious documentary about Islam.

“Why should taxpayers be forced to pay for a commercial for Islam? Such expenditure for a Judeo-Christian puff piece would incite public outcry. In the past, PBS has been careful to portray the concerns of all types of critics when they examine a religious belief, as in their documentary From Jesus to Christ. So why is this special on Islam a virtual cavalcade of Islam’s top stars, rather than a serious piece exploring legitimate and unanswered questions about Islam? PBS does a grave disservice to the American people – the very people who are paying for this program.”

For Information Contact:
Demi Bardsley
(202) 255-2278
media.cwfa.org

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