General Electric has decided to resume advertising on Paul Harvey's radio program after initially pulling its commercials due to complaints over a negative comment the broadcaster made about Islam.

Though the company says it made the decision to return to the program Dec. 22, it has heard from a "significant" number of listeners since then who protested the decision to punish Harvey.

Paul Harvey

As WorldNetDaily reported, in a Dec. 4 news item in which the legendary newsman described the bloody nature of cockfight gambling in Iraq, he said: "Add to the thirst for blood a religion which encourages killing, and it is entirely understandable if Americans came to this bloody party unprepared."

The Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, subsequently demanded an apology from Harvey, which was broadcast by a substitute anchor on the daily program Dec. 9.

Fill-in host Doug Limerick said:

"Last week [Harvey] told you about bloody cockfights in Iraq and mentioned the relationship between Islam and violence. He says he received several letters from dear friends in the American Muslim community who expressed their disgust with those who have hijacked their religion to achieve their goal through violence. They reminded all of us that Islam is a religion of peace, that terrorists do not represent Islam."

CAIR responded in a press release that same day by noting Harvey's "conciliatory statement" and thanking "all those who took the time to speak out in defense of Islam."

CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper insisted Islam's holy book, the Quran, proves Harvey's statement Islam "encourages killing" is false.

"We had hoped that a respected broadcast professional like Mr. Harvey would not join the growing number of Islamophobic hate-mongers in our society," Hooper said in response to the original broadcast. "He falsely attributes to Islam two things that are specifically prohibited by our faith, murder and cruelty to animals."

One of the ways CAIR protested Harvey's comment was to encourage members to contact advertisers of the show.

One of those advertisers, General Electric, responded to complaint e-mails with a note indicating it had pulled its advertisements from the program:

We have received your e-mail about the comments of Paul Harvey on Dec. 4, 2003. GE certainly doesn't endorse the comment and regrets any offense that it may have caused. While we look into the matter further, we have pulled GE's advertisements from Mr. Harvey's show. We appreciate voicing your concerns to us.

Gary Sheffer, spokesman for GE, confirmed that a radio ad for a lighting product was pulled from the show. The company decided to restore its advertising last week, however, after hearing about Limerick's conciliatory statement.

Sheffer confirmed the company heard from a number of people upset with GE's initial decision.

"We have had significant feedback from Mr. Harvey's listeners," Sheffer told WorldNetDaily. He says those contacting GE have expressed support for the newsman and asked that the advertising be restored.

Sheffer said the decision to pull the commercial was made at "the consumer products division" and that the ad will resume on the Harvey broadcast after the first of the year.

Harvey's "News and Comment" radio program is heard on 1,600 radio stations.

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