NPR Fires Juan Williams for Muslim Comments on Fox

Juan Williams, a well-known political pundit and author, was fired by National Public Radio late Wednesday after he said on Fox News that he was often nervous when boarding a plane with people who are dressed in "Muslim garb," according to The New York Times. NPR said in a statement it had given Williams notice of his termination Wednesday night.

Williams, who is also a Fox News political analyst, appeared on the “The O’Reilly Factor” on Monday. The show’s host, Bill O’Reilly, asked him whether the United States was facing a “Muslim dilemma.”

“The cold truth is that in the world today jihad, aided and abetted by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet,” O’Reilly said.
Williams then said he agreed with O’Reilly.

 
“I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot,” Williams added. “You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

NPR has long been concerned with appearances by its staffers on Fox News. Williams’s contributions on Fox raised eyebrows at NPR in the past, according to the Times. In February 2009, NPR said it had asked that he stop being identified on “The O’Reilly Factor” as a “senior correspondent for NPR,” even though that title was accurate.