The New York Time has reported on the on-going conflict between radio personality Michael Savage and the Council on American Islamic Relations, a part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. The article summarizes the conflict as follows:
…a few weeks ago, Mr. Savage uncorked a cascade of invective about Islam. Among his on-air comments: the Koran is a book of hate; some Muslims, at least, need deportation; and adherents of Islam would do well to take your religion and shove it up your behind because I’m sick of you. In response the Council on American-Islamic Relations, whose stated mission includes correcting mischaracterizations of Islam, tore a page from the playbook of Mr. Imus’s critics. It made Mr. Savage’s comments widely available on the Internet and called on advertisers to boycott his program, which is behind only Rush Limbaugh’s and Sean Hannity’s in number of listeners, according to Talkers magazine, an industry publication. At least two of his major sponsors ‘” Citrix, which sells remote access to computers, and Trusted ID, which provides protection against identity theft ‘” have pulled their spots. Thus far, Mr. Savage said in an interview last week, the boycott had cost his program more than a million dollars in advertising revenue committed for next year.On Dec. 3 Mr. Savage fired back at his critics in a way Mr. Imus never did: He filed a lawsuit in United States District Court against the council, not only for taking his comments out of context ‘” he says they were made within a broader discussion of the president of Iran ‘” but for then making audio of them available on its Web site, cair.com.
CAIR also is participating in an interfaith coalition called Hate Hurts America that is part of the boycott effort.