NPR news analyst fired for comments made as a guest on O'Reilly Factor

[derketchup]

Also I'd like to point out that he said:

"I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, 'they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims', I get worried, I get nervous."

What is wrong with identifying oneself first and foremost as Muslim? Don't many Americans identify first and foremost as Christian? He's making the statement that one can't be a good American if they're also a Muslim, which is absurd.

[Colinsgrandma]

What I find interesting is that the ladies of the view support Ron Williams and walk off the set when Bill O'reily says basically the same thing. I have always enjoyed listening to Ron Williams point of view when he is on a panel of journalists. Would I be nervous when a group of muslim men got on a plane...maybe. If my gut is telling you to be nervous I usually listen.

[loaslaen]

Yeah I'm sure that has nothing to do with my training as a combat medic, and I was talking to another combat medic who had the exact same training.

If you were trained as a medic, then you would understand people's fears a little more instead of calling them "bigots".

I agree with what you said about terrorists not wearing traditional Muslim garb. But for the most part, Americans were shown pictures of the "mastermind" behind 9/11, Osama bin Ladin, and all of his followers, and videos portrayed them as wearing the traditional Muslim garb. So that's the picture that most people have in their head. And when people see other people matching that description it sends a message to their brain associating the two.

Juan Williams also did not say he felt that way about all Muslims ALL the time. He said when he's on an airplane, and sees people in Muslim wear. That's a very founded fear because it was Muslims on airplanes that caused 9/11.

When I heard this story, I was also reminded of a quote by Jesse Jackson. He said:

There is nothing more painful to me ... than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery, then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved. -- the Reverend Jesse Jackson, as quoted in US News, 3/10/96

Sometimes stereotypes and fears get ingrained in our minds because of experiences or other visuals. This can be a good thing to make us more cautious, or it can be bad if taken to extremes.

[ATLmom]

He said all people who wear Muslim garb are potential terrorists until proven otherwise.

Where? Where does he say that?
Please watch the clip or read the transcript before you go putting words into people's mouths.

Only 6% of terrorist acts carried out on American soil (both attempted and successful) are perpetrated by Muslims.

So? Are you really saying that you can't fathom how someone, upon seeing a Muslim garbed person in an airport, might have a flash of seeing the twin towers in flames? It's ingrained in anyone who watches the news and who was around on 9-11. The images are there. Like Juan said avoiding talking about the truth is not going to help.

Here's what Juan did say:
YouTube - Full Juan Williams Controversial O'Reilly Factor Appearance

[loaslaen]

Also I'd like to point out that he said:

"I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, 'they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims', I get worried, I get nervous."

What is wrong with identifying oneself first and foremost as Muslim? Don't many Americans identify first and foremost as Christian? He's making the statement that one can't be a good American if they're also a Muslim, which is absurd.

The difference there is that you can't typically recognize a person's religion by looking at them. Most religions don't have a typical dress code. Some Mormons might be recognized, and Muslims would be as well. Alot of religions have been mixed into the American culture and you can't really tell what they believe by looking at them. The Muslims in America that wear Muslim garb obviously aren't as deep into the American culture, so Americans may think of them as having more Middle Eastern thoughts. It's easy to fear what or who you don't understand. If Americans don't understand Muslims, then it's harder to develop trust. It's easier to associate with a Muslim who is into American culture.

The more someone looks or acts like you, the easier it seems to trust or understand them. I don't think Juan Williams was trying to justify his fears, but just wanted to let people know that they existed. It's just human nature. How people deal with those fears is what really matters.

[Apennysaved]

How on earth do these npr employees keep their jobs and Juan Williams doesn't?
FoxNews.com - A Brief History of NPR's Intolerance and Imbalance

Squelching honest opinion does no one any good....political correctness is attempting to squelching freedom of speech for many American's....don't let it!!!

[derketchup]

So? Are you really saying that you can't fathom how someone, upon seeing a Muslim garbed person in an airport, might have a flash of seeing the twin towers in flames? It's ingrained in anyone who watches the news and who was around on 9-11. The images are there. Like Juan said avoiding talking about the truth is not going to help.

Juan Williams also did not say he felt that way about all Muslims ALL the time. He said when he's on an airplane, and sees people in Muslim wear. That's a very founded fear because it was Muslims on airplanes that caused 9/11.

Yes I'm saying I can't fathom that, ATL.

Look, both of you are missing the point. It was extremist Muslims in Western gear who boarded planes and hijacked them, indiscriminately killing many Americans (some of whom were Muslim, by the way).

So to say that we should be afraid of people who self-identify as Muslims is absurd, since these terrorists made every effort to look non-Muslim.

I agree we need more dialog, and I think it's good that people recognize these knee-jerk reactions as what they are - rank prejudice. But I don't think an educated journalist should be going on national television and equating "traditional Muslim garb" with extremist Muslims. That's not the reality. I know many moderate Muslims who wear traditional Muslim garb who are 100% against terrorism. And yes, I've seen the entire clip.

Political correctness and political incorrectness both serve us poorly when it comes to screening passengers. If we take the politically correct point of view, we might miss a few terrorists. If we take the politically incorrect point of view, we're going to miss even more, because terrorists aren't stupid. They analyze our system and they know exactly what is likely to get past security (terrorists in Western clothing) and what isn't, and they act accordingly.

We should screen everyone. If some gung-ho screener wants to check Muslims in traditional garb a little closer, he might miss someone dressed normally who actually is a terrorist.

What we should start doing is screening for behavior. There are several signs of lying and nervousness that screeners should be looking for, such as avoiding eye contact, blinking a lot, fidgeting, etc.

[derketchup]

Squelching honest opinion does no one any good....political correctness is attempting to squelching freedom of speech for many American's....don't let it!!!

There's no such thing as an honest opinion. Opinions are not facts and therefore cannot be honest or dishonest.

[faeryedark]

He made a big mistake by saying "Muslims" rather than "Muslim extremists". There is a big difference between the two. Unfortunately, you can't tell that difference just by seeing someone in an airport.
And hence the gut reaction which IMO is perfectly normal after the trauma of 9/11

I could be walking down the street at dusk, and some big dude (whatever colour you choose) is behind me. i'm gonna have a gut reaction and probably be a bit nervous. I don't know if he is a gentle giant or an ax murderer on the hunt.
What I won't do is scream "murderer, rapist etc." What i will do is make sure I'm aware of my surroundings and can hopefully make a quick getaway if need be.

[faeryedark]

He made a big mistake by saying "Muslims" rather than "Muslim extremists". There is a big difference between the two. Unfortunately, you can't tell that difference just by seeing someone in an airport.
And hence the gut reaction which IMO is perfectly normal after the trauma of 9/11

I could be walking down the street at dusk, and some big dude (whatever colour you choose) is behind me. i'm gonna have a gut reaction and probably be a bit nervous. I don't know if he is a gentle giant or an ax murderer on the hunt.
What I won't do is scream "murderer, rapist etc." What i will do is make sure I'm aware of my surroundings and can hopefully make a quick getaway if need be.

"He made a big mistake by saying "Muslims" rather than "Muslim extremists". There is a big difference between the two. Unfortunately, you can't tell that difference just by seeing someone in an airport."
Is a quote from another poster, sorry it didn't turn out that way.