Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Bergen/Essex/Passaic) joined the litany of Americans dismayed by the decision of Lowe’s home improvement chain to pull its advertising from the TLC show All-American Muslim due to pressure from fringe groups.
Schaer, the legislature’s first Orthodox Jewish member, took umbrage with Lowe’s lack of respect for religious freedom, sending a letter to the corporation’s CEO asking them to reconsider their decision to pull support from the show.
“Unfortunately, Lowe’s decision appears to have been made in response to pressure from a fringe group and the questionable values which they espouse, values which, at best, are antithetical to the founding principles of our nation. I commend Lowe’s for having originally sponsored television programming acknowledging and celebrating America’s commitment to tolerance and diversity. Your decision to end sponsorship due to pressure from extremist fringe groups is a matter of deepest concern and personal regret.
“Americans will soon be joining together in their respective houses of worship in celebration of their particular religious traditions, and our nation will be enriched by our diversity, tolerance, respect for one another and shared acknowledgment that America’s future as the world’s leader depends upon those core values. In that spirit, I call upon your board to immediately reconsider its ill advised position and reaffirm Lowe’s Companies as an example of corporate responsibility,” Schaer noted in his letter.
A full copy of Schaer’s letter can be viewed here.