Our Statement: Lowe’s Pulls Ads For TLC’s All-American Muslim
On its Facebook fan page, Lowe’s Home Improvement, a large retail store in the US, admitted to pulling its advertising from an unnamed television show. It’s clear from the controversy created that the show referenced by Lowe’s is the TLC documentary series, All-American Muslim, a comparatively low-rated cable show airing on Sunday nights.
All-American Muslim centers around several families and single people living in Dearborn, Michigan, a city with a higher-than-the-U.S.-average population of Muslim-Americans. The show follows the subjects as they go about their daily lives in a seemingly innocuous, documentary style indicative of many other similar “reality” television shows broadcast on network and cable channels. In comparing other shows of the same “reality” realm, All-American Muslim is seen to be a “kinder, gentler reality show” (as described by Christian Toto for Big Hollywood) for showcasing real people doing real things in real life rather than focusing on the more sensational toddler tanning and multiple wives “reality” shows airing in other TLC timeslots.
Nevertheless, home improvement giant, Lowe’s, openly decided to pull their advertising from the show for reasons they explained on their Facebook page:
Lowe’s has received a significant amount of communication on this program, from every perspective possible. Individuals and groups have strong political and societal views on this topic, and this program became a lighting rod for many of those views. As a result we did pull our advertising on this program. We believe it is best to respectfully defer to communities, individuals and groups to discuss and consider such issues of importance.
It’s not said from whom or where they received the “significant amount of communication” regarding the “topic,” but it’s widely suspected that the Florida-based Florida Family Association (FFA) reached out to Lowe’s and encouraged them to pull their advertising saying, “All-American Muslim is propaganda that hides the Islamic agenda’s clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values.”
Jon Stewart of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, spoke out about the controversy in Wednesday night’s broadcast of the segment named, “Kabulvision”:
While Stewart’s commentary is sprinkled with sarcasm, the message of what he’s saying is clear: Lowe’s has pulled their advertising on a comparatively-”vanilla” television show due in part to the pressures of a small, previously non-influential fringe religious group because of the lack of stereotypical representation of Muslim-Americans on the show.
Many Muslim-Americans and non-Muslim-Americans are calling for boycotts of Lowe’s for what is seen as a bigoted action to a harmless group of people. On the contrary, there are thousands of comments being left on Lowe’s Facebook page supporting their actions. The example here is of one supporter who says he/she will continue supporting Lowe’s, saying “Ignore all the hate coming from the Muslims and their brain-washed, uneducated followers of Islam.”
While Lowe’s and all other advertisers have the right to support or not support any television show with their advertising dollars, Lowe’s is coming under heavy criticism by equal-rights supporters and government officials like California State Senator saying, “the decision to pull advertising from the show ‘bigoted, shameful, and un-American’ and ‘profoundly ignorant.’” (LA Times)
The editors of Curvy Girl Guide stand with those disappointed and hurt by Lowe’s actions. We have personally seen the show, All-American Muslim, and because we are not Muslim-Americans, we have learned more from the documentary series about how some of our Muslim-American friends have the same day-to-day decision and struggles we, too, have. The “reality” show is a teachable moment for our families in which we can talk with our children about how people of all religions and beliefs can co-exist without judgement. Unfortunately, the actions taken and statements made by Lowe’s to call out the show as being a “lightning rod” are ones with which we do not agree, and we will not be supporting a retailer who it appears makes their decisions based on the bigoted views of fringe groups.
lead image credit TLC
~Angie Lynch, Daily Curve Editor
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Dishing the latest, most talk worthy news on the internet, one curve at a time. 
Hoping this post spreads awareness about Lowe’s refusal to stand up to racism and bigotry among your regular readers and other bloggers who can spread the word.
Their Facebook page post is the most poorly-worded, confused jumble of words I have ever seen, and it makes no attempt to come anywhere near a resolution.
TEAM HOME DEPOT (I’m in it for the lesbians).
I’m so proud to be a part of this group. A sane, tolerant, classy, accepting, and loving group of people. :)
Love this. And loved Jon Stewarts rational, yet comical take on this. I had to share it.
One of my closet friends is an “All American Muslim.” I know the kind of shit she goes through, but she is quick to stand up and tell someone to kiss her ass. Just because someone isn’t a WASP doesn’t make them unAmerican
Obviously that is supposed to say “closest”
This is so frustrating! I’m definitely blogging about this!
I work in Dearborn and I attend the University of Michigan – Dearborn. The only difference I see between the Arab-Americans I see and interact with every day and everybody else is their garb sometimes makes it easier to guess their religion. That’s it. Other than that, I’d take the blind Pepsi challenge on Arab-Americans/Muslims and white Catholics/Lutherans/Protestants any day of the week and have no clue, and to think these people are any different than any of us is preposterous.
Remember, Tim McVeigh was a white, Republican, Catholic dude.
I love this show, I have loved learning more about Muslim life and have been watching it with my 7 year old daughter. I think it’s sad when anyone is lumped into a group based on anything, religion, skin color, accent, etc.
I agree that Lowes has the right to decide what programs to associate their ads with and if they don’t want to use this show that’s their choice. I will probably drive past them now.
What is a shame is if I kept track of what every store has done “wrong” I would be hard pressed to find a store to go into. Target doesn’t allow bell ringers, Walmart is a corporate giant who doesn’t like the little guy, Home Depot didn’t like gay people, the grocery store close by put the local grocer out of business.
What I hope comes of this is a better awareness that we are all here together and have to find a way to get along even if we don’t agree.
I don’t understand the level of bigotry and hate people still have today, this is 2011 not 1911. I’m ordering me a Team Home Depot shirt today!
Nicely done, Curvy Girls.
Well-said, and I agree. I’ve got the show on my dvr, but haven’t watched it. I think that the folks that are running Lowe’s are cowards, and it makes me sad. I don’t really shop at home improvement stores(I cannot be trusted with any power tools), I’m going to go buy something at The Home Depot, just on principle.
Thanks for speaking out ladies!
The fact that this FFA would make a statement that the show presents a danger to American liberties and traditional values just shows that they have no idea what this country stands for.