Radio host fired for tying Islam to terror

The station also wanted him to deliver an apology on the air. ''I refused," he said. ''And for that refusal, I was fired."

WMAL's president and general manager, Chris Berry, told the industry publication Radio & Records: ''Some of Michael's statements about Islam went over the line -- and this isn't the first time that he has been reprimanded for insensitive language and comments. I asked Michael for an on-air acknowledgment that some of his remarks were overly broad, and inexplicably he refused."

CAIR's executive director, Nihad Awad, said, ''Although we are saddened that Michael Graham would not take responsibility for his hate-filled words, we do welcome WMAL's action as a step toward removing some of the harmful anti-Muslim rhetoric that fill our nation's airwaves."

''I find it absolutely outrageous that pressure from a special interest group like CAIR can result in the abandonment of free speech," he said in a statement on his website.