Salam Al-Marayati Defends Muslim Rage over Danish Cartoons
Reader comment on item: Needed: Muslims against Terror[ - and Not Salam Al-Marayati]

Submitted by Bruce Kaye (United States), Feb 8, 2006 at 02:59

Dear KPCC/AirTalk:

I have been and continue to be a real fan of Larry Mantle's AirTalk. Still, I was greatly dismayed by the show on Tuesday February 7, 2006 regarding the controversy over the Danish cartoons.

This show was simply not up to par of the high standards I've come to expect from Larry Mantle and AirTalk. Mr. Salam Al-Marayati – the only guest I heard - is a slick apologist and propagandist for Muslim and Arab causes. The fact that the show didn't also feature a guest from an organization such as the Anti-Defamation League to respond to Al-Marayati's manipulative statements was grievous and disappointing.

I am particularly referring to Al-Marayati's outrageous and false comparisons of laws regarding Holocaust denial to issues of free speech and the publication of satirical cartoons in a Danish paper. Mr. Al-Marayati cannot deny that Muslims strap on explosive belts and walk into restaurants and proclaim god is great before blowing up innocents. Al-Marayati cannot deny that Muslims have flown airplanes into office buildings and committed mass murder while proclaiming god is great. Al-Marayati cannot deny that nearly every Muslim nation regularly prints vicious anti-Semitic caricatures (CARTOONS!) with demonic images of Jews, along with Jewish symbols such as the Star of David, both in their official state sponsored press and in their television media and school textbooks. If Al-Marayati and other Muslims had any sense of shame or honor, they would acknowledge their very great and reprehensible hypocrisy and culpability in the current state of affairs.

This issue is too important issue to be treated blithely or for listeners to receive a biased, disingenuous picture of events.

Please do this show again and please choose your guests and prepare your facts with more care in advance.

BRUCE KAYE

West Hollywood, CA 90069

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