WASHINGTON  —  Conservative radio host Michael Graham (search) was fired Monday by a Washington station after he refused to apologize for calling Islam "a terrorist organization."

WMAL-AM (search) had suspended Graham after his July 25 broadcast drew protests from the Council on American-Islam Relations (search). Graham, who had a daily three-hour talk on WMAL, had said, "We are at war with a terrorist organization named Islam," according to CAIR.

On his Web site Monday, Graham said WMAL had asked him to retract his comments about Islam and deliver an on-air apology.

"I refused," he said. "And for that refusal, I was fired."

WMAL 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 acknowledgement that some of his remarks were overly broad and inexplicably he refused."

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CAIR executive director Nihad Awad said Monday, "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."

Graham blamed the Muslim group for his firing. "As a fan of talk radio, I find it absolutely outrageous that pressure from a special interest group like CAIR can result in the abandonment of free speech and open discourse on a talk radio show," he said.