A parody of anti-Muslim bigotry on a Washington, D.C., radio station drew support for treating American Muslims in a manner similar to how the Jewish community was targeted in Nazi Germany.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said today that the reaction to the parody is a “wake-up call” for religious and political leaders who remain silent on the issue of growing Islamophobia in America.
In his 630 WMAL program on Sunday, November 26, talk show host Jerry Klein seemed to advocate a government program to force all Muslims to wear “identifying markers.” He stated: “I’m thinking either it should be an arm band, a crescent moon arm band, or it should be a crescent moon tattoo.” Klein said: “If it means that we have to round them up and do a tattoo in a place where everybody knows where to find it, then that’s what we’ll have to do.”
[The program focused on public reaction to the removal of six Imams, or Islamic religious leaders, from a US Airways flight in Minnesota last week.]
Some callers to the program rejected discriminatory treatment of Muslims, but others supported Klein’s statements and even suggested that even more severe measures be taken against American Muslims. “Richard” in Gaithersburg, Md., said: “Not only do you tattoo them in the middle of their foreheads; you round them up and then ship them out of this country, period.”
“Heath” in Upper Marlboro, Md., said: “I don’t think you go far enough. . .you have to set up encampments like they did during World War II like with the Japanese and Germans.”
Later in the program, Klein revealed that his call for discriminatory actions against Muslims was “baloney.” Klein said: “I can’t believe any of you, any of you, are sick enough to have agreed for one second with anything that I have said in the last half hour.”