Doctor Hate

By Ahmed Nassef

It’s always a tough call choosing which bigot to talk about on our pages. For one, we try to stay away from giving further publicity to the hateful people out there. And the examples of anti-Muslim hate speech in the world of corporate media and politics are just too many to mention these days.

But the latest tirade by conservative pop psychologist Dr. Laura Schlessinger—her degree is actually in physiology, but who cares about credentials in this era of AWOL-guardsmen-turned-commanders-in-chief--is worthy of mention, if only to illustrate the level of acceptability that this kind of drivel against Muslims/Arabs/South Asians (haters are not big on making fine distinctions between Muslims, Christian Arabs, or Indian Sikhs) garners these days.

A little over three years ago, after Schlessinger called gays and lesbians a “biological error,” the nation’s top advertiser, Procter & Gamble, rightly pulled out its advertising support from both her radio program, and her then-in-the-works TV show. P&G’s announcement was followed by similar ones from other top advertisers. After her Canadian distributor cancelled her, Paramount, the show’s producer, was forced to cancel the show in March 2001.

Now, on her November 17th radio program, Schlessinger responded to a caller’s concerns over her daughter upcoming class trip to a local mosque, as part of her Catholic high school’s “moral themes” course, this way:

"This is despicable. You tell him you are willing to go to the mosque only if it is one that has done its best to route out terrorists in its midst instead of complaining. I am horrified that you would let her go. I am so sick and tired of all the Arab-American groups whining and complaining about some kind of treatment. What culture and what religion were all the murderers of 9/11. They murdered us. … That’s the culture you want your daughter to learn about?"

A whole culture and religion are “murderers”? How many other US radio personalities would be allowed to continue after such a comment if they had said it referring to any other ethnic or religious group in this country?

Schlessinger’s program is produced by none other than Premiere Radio Networks, the same Sherman Oaks, California-based company that features such cultural luminaries as Rush Limbaugh. Premiere is also a subsidiary of Clear Channel, the owner of a 1200-station nationwide monopoly and whose CEO Lowry Mays and vice-chairman, Tom Hicks, are good friends—and long-time benefactors—to George W. Bush.

So with all these powerful men behind her, is it any wonder that Schlessinger is confident she can survive this controversy? There aren’t too many groups left, after all, for haters to feel completely safe maligning.

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has issued a call to demand an apology. For all the pundits who are quick to demand summary condemnations by Muslim organizations of every single infraction by a Muslim anywhere in the world, how many civil rights organizations, I wonder, will take a public stand against this latest offense? We better take a deep breath.

Schlessinger’s contact information is below.

Dr. Laura Schlessinger
15260 Ventura Blvd, Suite 500
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403-5307
818-461-5403
Fax: 818-461-5440
E-Mail: manton@premiereradio.com

Clear Channel: pr@clearchannel.com