Maher to Guest Defending Islam in Wake of Boston Bombings: 'That's Liberal ####'

NewsBusters.org ^ | April 20, 2013 | Noel Sheppard

[Kaslin]

Bill Maher on HBO's Real Time Friday made a statement that will make the Right cheer as the left predictably cringes.

After his guest Brian Levin - the director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino - said of the Boston bombings and how it relates to radical Islam, "We have hypocrites across faiths, Jewish, Christian who say they're out for God and end up doing not so nice things," Maher marvelously responded, "That’s liberal bulls--t right there" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Maher to Guest Defending Islam in the Wake of Boston Bombing: 'That's Lberal Bulls--t'

BILL MAHER, HOST: So you're obviously the perfect person to have here today. You study this all the time, the mind of crazy people who do horrible things. I'm always interested to know how people like the people we caught today up in Boston can have two minds going at the same time. I mean, if you read what the older brother wrote on his, on the internet, he said his world view: Islam. Personal priorities: career and money. And we see this a lot. I mean, the 9/11 hijackers went to strip clubs the night before they got on the plane.

BRIAN LEVIN, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF HATE AND EXTREMISM AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SAN BERNADINO: Could I just interject? Look, it's not like people who are Muslim who do wacky things have a monopoly on it. We have hypocrites across faiths, Jewish, Christian who say they're out for God and end up doing not so nice things.

MAHER: You know what? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what? That's, that’s liberal bullshit right there. I mean, yes, all faiths…

LEVIN: There are no Christian hypocrites?

MAHER: No, there are.

LEVIN: You make a career on that.

MAHER: They just, they're not as dangerous. I mean, there's only one faith, for example, that kills you or wants to kill you if you draw a bad cartoon of the prophet. There’s only one faith that kills you or wants to kill you if you renounce the faith. An ex-Muslim is a very dangerous thing. Talk to Salman Rushdie after the show about Christian versus Islam. So, you know, I’m just saying, let's keep it real.

LEVIN: Well, I guess I have a girl for you, Pam Geller you could maybe meet. No, I really disagree with you.

MAHER: I don't know what that means.

LEVIN: Well, she’s an Islamaphobe. But, no I…

MAHER: I’m not an Islamaphobe. That’s wrong. I am a truth lover. All religions are not alike. As many people have pointed out, “The Book of Mormon.” Did you see the show?

LEVIN: No, it's hard to get tickets.

MAHER: Okay, can you imagine if they did "The Book of Islam?" Could they do that? There’s only one religion that threatens violence and carries it out for things like that. Could they do “The Book of Islam” on Broadway?

LEVIN: Possibly so.

MAHER: Possibly so? Tell me what color the sky is in your world.

LEVIN: Here's my difficulty with your premise here, Bill, and that is look at how religions over history have had things done in their name that have been terrible.

MAHER: Absolutely. But we're not in history. We're in 2013.

LEVIN: But what I would tell you…

MAHER: You're right, during the Middle Ages, I would say Christianity was the bigger problem.

LEVIN: If I may, though. You are making an error in that Islam has over 1.4 billion adherents. There’s a heterogeneity to it. Are there extremists who are horrible people who would slit your throats? Yes. But there are also folks that are fine, upstanding people.

MAHER: Of course.

LEVIN: And I'm very worried you have a national audience where we're promoting Islamic hatred.

MAHER: No, you're wrong about that and you're wrong about your facts. Now, obviously, most Muslim people are not terrorists, but ask most Muslim people in the world, if you insult the prophet, do you have what's coming to you. It's more than just a fringe element.

Folks that are surprised by this shouldn't be, as this isn't the first time Maher has come out strongly against radical Islam.

In 2011, he told Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) that the Koran is a "hate-filled book" and that "the threat potentially from radicalized Muslims is a unique and greater threat" than from "right-wing militias and Timothy McVeigh types."

As for going after the hypocrisy of the Left, Maher last month said in regard to the high taxes he's now paying, "Liberals - you could actually lose me."

Is there hope for Bill Maher?

Is it possible the far more reasonable person that existed in the '90s with a program on Comedy Central called Politically Incorrect is starting to reemerge after more than a decade of hibernation?

Let's pray.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

The blind squirrel was doing pretty well until...

MAHER: You're right, during the Middle Ages, I would say Christianity was the bigger problem.

Oh yeah, Bill, the Crusades, which were launched after 300 years of unanswered Mohammedan aggression.

Those Crusades, Bill? Learn some history.

[a fool in paradise]

MAHER: You're right, during the Middle Ages, I would say Christianity was the bigger problem.

Well, that's just before Islam existed. "bigger" is a relative term when the other DOESN'T exist.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

We are starting to realize that the reason there was a middle [dark] age is because Islam terror drove Christendom into it.

It's just beginning. Our schools are working overtime to perpetuate the myth.

The truth has many enemies.

[snowstorm12]

Maher has already had Brigitte Gabriel on his show to speak about moderate muslim nonsense.

A true American “moderate” Muslim beheads wife

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpMPz9JF5b8

Great segment! please watch!

Gabriel “when western men try to kill their wife they try to hide the problem they try to run away. they do not call the police and brag about beheading their wife”

[ricmc2175]

If the muslims have lost Bill Maher, they have lost IMHO.

[Max_850]

“It takes a certain amount of courage to call it out the Maher did.”

I agree. He puzzles me... 99.9% of the time I can’t stand to even read about him. but twice in the past month he has gotten it right.

1st time, complaining about the progressive tax burden on the rich. Now this.

Doubt that it will become a trend, but it is definitely refreshing to hear someone with a leftist audience speak the truth.

[pepperdog]

Is there hope for him? I doubt it, but perhaps he's just an example of extremely delayed development.

[Dick Bachert]

If we deported this azzhole, the cumulative IQ in the nation would jump 20 points!

This ever classy, waste of otherwise valuable protoplasm and pathetic excuse for a life form is seen here whacked out on a large quantity of booze and/or exotic chemicals in his Halloween, 2007 STEVE IRWIN get-up! Bill Maher: Giving SCHMUCKS and MORONS a bad name for over 20 years!!

[Lakeshark]

Even though he despises both his religious halves

He does recognize Islam as distinctively dangerous

Unfortunately he doesn't know about his own 99% communist/atheist side.......

[Dick Bachert]

That said, it seems even HE is starting to “get it.”

[rbg81]

MAHER: Okay, can you imagine if they did “The Book of Islam?” Could they do that? There’s only one religion that threatens violence and carries it out for things like that. Could they do “The Book of Islam” on Broadway?

LEVIN: Possibly so.

MAHER: Possibly so? Tell me what color the sky is in your world.

---

Levin lost all credibility right there.

[wardaddy]

You know ...I was invited to the Playboy Mansion long ago

Didn’t go.....given Maher is such a regular these days

Glad I passed

[CityCenter]

There is hope for everyone. Pray for Maher and those like them.

[Kazan]

Has Maher, however, finally figured out that virtually on the terrorism and genocide in the world done in the name of religion is being committed by Muslims?

[Corporate Democrat]

This isn’t the first time he’s specifically called out Islam as being inherently violent. He’s confronted Keith Ellison about it in an interview, and said numerous times that Christianity is innocuous compared to Islam (although he dislikes both).

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Learn some history.

Its more than just crusades. By the late Middle Ages, the Church was a very corrupt institution - half the Popes were either murdering their opposition (Borgias, anyone), or having children out of wedlock, or engaging in intense bribery -- (indulgences, anyone), that when there was push-back in the form of Martin Luther, there was equal and violent push back by the Church in the form of the Inquisition. It took hundreds of years for that to settle out, and it has settled out. The Pope we have today is such a holy man and would have been totally out of place in the Middle Ages.

[plain talk]

Yes ... Far fewer people were killed in the name of Christianity than Islam during the middle ages. It is just more newsworthy because people sort of expect muslims to kill.

[Kazan]

Unfortunately he doesn't know about his own 99% communist/atheist side.......

He apparently doesn't realize or acknowledge atheist, communist governments have killed more than Muslims or those prescribing to any other belief in the past century.

[Viennacon]

Even vile pigs can see that Islam is NOT the religion of peace.

No hope for Maher. He’s going somewhere bad when he dies.

[MrsEmmaPeel]

I don’t have any figures on the extend of Islam aggression and the deaths caused by that fanaticism — however, I can speak to Henry VIII and his genocide with the Roman Catholic Church in England. It is thought that approx. 100,000 people from a population of 2 million were executed. Even if you play with the numbers (say downgrade the number death to 70,000 - 80,000) and up the population, (say 2.5 million), you’re still taking about a significant section of people. I believe Elizabeth I was worse.