A leading United States Islamic advocacy group announced on Sunday that Howard Gordon, the executive producer of Fox's award-winning drama "24," has withdrawn his endorsement of the anti-terror film "Obsession." The film, which was produced in 2006, addresses the threat of radical Islam to Western civilization.
On the cover of the "Obsession" DVD, Gordon is listed as calling the movie "required viewing for everyone."
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a statement by Gordon in which he said:
"After being contacted by a number of people whose opinions I respect and after reviewing Obsession with their criticisms and concerns in mind, I have asked the film makers to remove my endorsement from the Obsession website and from any future promotional materials. While I remain committed to the film's essential message -- that the hate-mongering promoted by radical Islamism presents a real threat to western values of tolerance and pluralism -- I also appreciate that the goal of co-existence and tolerance is not being served by films like Obsession."
"Obsession" features interviews with Middle East experts such as Sir Martin Gilbert, Professor Robert Wistrich and Daniel Pipes, as well as Dr. Khaleel Mohammed, Alan Dershowitz, a former PLO terrorist, a former Hitler Youth Commander, and others.