Williams told Bill O'Reilly he gets 'nervous' when he's on an airplane with people in 'Muslim garb.'
National Public Radio has fired longtime news analyst Juan Williams over comments he made about Muslims while appearing on 'The O'Reilly Factor' on Fox News earlier this week.
Juan Williams.Williams, who has written extensively on the Civil Rights movement, is also a regular contributor as a liberal commentator for Fox News. He appeared on Bill O'Reilly's show on Monday to discuss the recent flap over O'Reilly's statements about the mosque planned for New York City during an appearance on 'The View' last week.
When O'Reilly asked "Where am I going wrong here, Juan?" Williams responded:
"I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the Civil Rights movement in this country...But when I get on a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."
On Wednesday night, NPR issued a statement saying Williams' contract was being terminated due to those remarks, calling them "inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR."
Williams told The Washington Post on Thursday morning that he was not ready to comment on the situation. "I better bite my tongue at this point," he said.
According to New York Times reporter Brian Stelter, "Mr. Williams’s contributions on Fox raised eyebrows at NPR in the past. In February 2009, NPR said it had asked that he stop being identified on 'The O’Reilly Factor' as a 'senior correspondent for NPR,' even though that title was accurate."
The firing of Juan Williams has commentators and politicians on both sides of the aisle talking. Liberal Daily Kos blogger Greg Dworkin told Politico.com:
"Are airlines now to have a dress code? Are gray flannel suits the uniform? These are completely inappropriate comments, fanning the flames of intolerance and bigotry on a media site that does little enough to combat such views. This isn’t a tough call or a fine line."
Former Republican presidential candidate and Fox show host Mike Huckabee is defending Williams and calling on Congress to cut funding to NPR.
In a statement to CNN, Huckabee said: "NPR has discredited itself as a forum for free speech and a protection of the First Amendment rights of all and has solidified itself as the purveyor of politically correct pabulum and protector of views that lean left."
Conservative columnist and fellow Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin adds, "Government-funded NPR has apparently caved into left-wing attack dogs on the Internet...Condolences to Juan Williams, whom I’ve debated –vigorously, but always with respect and cordiality — many times over the years."
What do you think - Did NPR make the right decision in firing Juan Williams? Leave your comments below.
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