A Call To Boycott All Advertisers on CBS-TV and Radio

June 1, 2001 - Rabi Al-Awwal 9, 1422


Ms. Leslie Moonves, CEO June 1, 2001 - Rabi Al-Awwal 9, 1422
CBS-TV
7800 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Fax: 323-653-8276

A Call To Boycott All Advertisers on CBS-TV and Radio

Dear Ms. Moonves:

On behalf of seven million Muslim-Americans and three million Arab-Americans, we must inform you that CBS-TV leaves us no choice, but to start a boycott
campaign:

1. against watching CBS-TV channels nationwide;
2. against listening to CBS radio stations nationwide;
3. against all advertisers on your TV and radio stations;
4. to prevent all CBS productions from entering the 54 member countries of
the Organization of Islamic Conference, including the 22 member countries of
the League of Arab States, comprising 1.3 billion Muslim consumers of your
productions:
This world-wide boycott campaign will also endeavor to appeal to the millions of fair-minded friends in the U.S. and the world to joint this boycott. Why this boycott?

1. Because CBS Television is preparing two high-profile programs in which
Muslims and Arabs will, yet again, be depicted as terrorist villains. One is your TV movie "The President's Men: Ground Zero" starring Chuck Norris,
while the other is the debut episode of your new series based on the CIA
called "The Agency".

2. Because CBS and Chuck Norris' history is replete with Arab and
Muslim-bashing, as proven in 19 movies previously aired through CBS-TV.
Unless CBS-TV ceases and desists from airing or producing movies which vilify and defame Muslims and Arabs and promote ugly anti-Muslim and anti-Arab stereotypes.

Dear Ms. Moonves, you know very well how media images shape public
perceptions, especially of ethnic and religious minority groups. Such
vilification creates an atmosphere of hostility and fear, which leads to
discrimination and even hate crimes against Muslim and Arab-Americans.
Especially vulnerable are the innocent children, who have no defenses against negative stereotypes and who face harassment and worse at schools an
playgrounds based on widespread prejudices which the media promote.

We need not remind you what happened in Nazi Germany! Media institutions
such as CBS have a responsibility commensurate with your influence on popular culture and public perceptions. Bigoted depictions of Muslims and Arabs and other human beings are completely irresponsible and must be unacceptable to CBS as well.

Dear Ms. Moonves, to refresh your memory here is a partial list of films
starring Chuck Norris, which consistently vilified Arabs and Muslims:

(1985) "Invasion USA", (1986) "Firewalker", (1986) "Delta Force", (1990)
"Delta Force II" and (1991) "The Hitman" - These films were produced by the
notorious Canon Films run by the Israeli producers Menachem Golan and Yoram
Globus, who pioneered the stereotype of Muslim and Arab "terrorist villains"
in action films. Another similar film was "Not Without My Daughter". It is obvious, why Israelis would want to negatively stereotype Arabs and Muslims, but why CBS?!

CBS-TV has a long history of airing and promoting programs and films which
show Muslims and Arabs committing acts of brutal terrorism against Americans, including "Black Sunday" (1977), "To Live and Die in L.A." (1986), "Wanted Dead or Alive" (1986), "Terror in Beverly Hills" (1986), Terror Squad" (1987), "Terrorist On Trial: The U.S. Versus Salim Ajami" (1988), one of the most racist anti-Arab movies broadcast on TV; True Lies" (1994) "Executive Decision" (1996) and "Path To Paradise" (1997).
Ms. Moonves, since 1998, CBS-TV, more than any other network, has promoted
the ugliest stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims through episodes of series such
as "Family Law", "Judging Amy" and several episodes of "JAG". One episode of "JAG" shows Palestinian killing and rampaging through a Washington, DC
hospital!! Why this negative depiction?! On the contrary, statistics show
that many Muslim doctors are helping to cure patients in, almost, every
hospital in the USA!!

Ms. Moonves, if your ethnic or religious groups were the ones vilified,
demonized and dehumanized consistently in these propaganda films, we would
also call for the boycott of CBS-TV. The least you can do is to make sure
that CBS channels do not air such films and CBS-TV does not participate in
the production of such Nazi-like and full of hate films, uncalled for in any
society. We urge you not to force us to start this boycott campaign.

Anxiously awaiting your reply.

Sincerely,