CAIR: Ohio Radio Host Says Islam's 'Goal' Is 'Sex With Children'

CAIR: Ohio Radio Host Says Islam's 'Goal' Is 'Sex With Children'

CAIR calls on WLW-AM to reprimand Bill Cunningham for 'outrageous and inflammatory' remarks

CINCINNATI, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Cincinnati office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Ohio chapter (CAIR-Ohio) today called on a local radio station to reprimand a talk show host who claimed that the goal of Islam is "sex with children for eternity."

Yesterday, WLW-AM host Bill "Willie" Cunningham said on air: "The great war of this generation's time is the war against Islamic fascists. . .They do not live for life, they live for death. Only through death can they believe they can be with those 72 virgins in heaven and have sex with children for eternity, which is the goal of that religion."

TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO CLIP, GO TO: http://www.cair.com/audio/bill_cunningham.htm

(Cunningham's "Voice of the Common Man" will be syndicated nationally on 325 stations beginning October 7.)

"These outrageous and inflammatory remarks can only serve to promote the kind of anti-Muslim hatred and bigotry that have such a negative impact on our society and on our nation's international image," said CAIR-Cincinnati Executive Director Karen Dabdoub. "Unfortunately, this troubling incident is further evidence of the growing level of rhetorical attacks on Muslims and Islam in the public arena."

She cited recent remarks by presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who said he would not be comfortable with a Muslim in the White House, and by Rep. Peter King (R-NY) who said "we have too many mosques in this country."

Dabdoub added that hate-filled words can and do lead to violent actions against Muslims. She said there have been several recent apparently bias-related incidents targeting Muslims in Ohio, including Nazi swastikas and the phrase "white power" spray-painted on a Toledo Islamic school and rocks thrown at worshipers outside a Columbus mosque.

Other recent incidents nationwide include a shot fired into a Texas mosque, a Muslim woman in New York being badly beaten in a bias attack, arsonists torching a mosque in Northern California, and vandals slashing the tires of vehicles owned by a Maryland Muslim activist.

WLW-AM is no stranger to charges of inaccuracy and bias. Bill Cunningham recently had to apologize for falsely claiming an athlete was "drunk" while playing in a game. The station was also involved in a controversy over an advertising campaign that resulted in a boycott of advertisers by the Hispanic community.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 33 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. The CAIR-Ohio Chapter has three offices - Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR-Cincinnati Executive Director Karen Dabdoub, 513-281-8200, 513-604-4444, E-Mail: kdabdoub@cair.com; CAIR-Ohio Legal Director Jennifer Nimer, 614-451-3232, E-Mail: jnimer@cair.com; CAIR-Ohio President, Asma Mobin-Uddin, 614-451-3232, E-Mail: amobin-uddin@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,
+1-202-488-8787 or +1-202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com

Web Site: http://www.cair.com/audio/bill_cunningham.htm
http://www.cair-net.org/

---

Profile: International Entertainment