For many years, atheist TV host Bill Maher has openly criticized the Bible and the Christian faith, and for doing so he has been enthusiastically praised by his liberal followers. But now that he is criticizing Islam more frequently, even positively contrasting Christianity with Islam, he is being widely criticized.
Things have gotten to the point that a petition drive was launched to have him removed as the commencement speaker at Berkeley, of all places.
I thought Berkeley stood for free speech? I thought Berkeley was a hot bed of opposition to religious fundamentalism?
The petition on Change.org is titled “Stop Bill Maher from speaking at UC Berkeley’s December graduation,” and it argues, “Bill Maher has made comments that are blantantly [sic] bigoted and racist and has no respect for the values UC Berkeley students and administration stand for. In a time where climate is a priority for all on campus, we cannot invite an individual who himself perpetuates a dangerous learning environment. Bill Maher’s public statements on various religions and cultures are offensive and his dangerous rhetoric has found its way into our campus communities.”
The petition continues, “Too many students are marginalized by his remarks and if the University were to bring this individual as a commencement speaker they would not be supporting these historically marginalized communities. It is the responsibility of the University of California to protect all students and uphold a standard of civility. Sign this petition to boycott the decision to invite Bill Maher as a commencement speaker at the UC Berkeley Fall 2014 Commencement Ceremony.”
The petition then lists a number of Maher’s offensive and profane comments about religion in general, followed by several comments critiquing Islam specifically. (Surprise!)
Included in his anti-Islamic comments are these zingers:
“Islam is the only religion that acts like the mafia that will f***ing kill you if you say the wrong thing.”
“Dealing w/ Hamas is like dealing w/ a crazy woman who’s trying to kill u – u can only hold her wrists so long before you have to slap her.”
“The Muslim world has too much in common with ISIS.”
Significantly, not one single comment attacking Christianity is listed in support of the petition, in all likelihood because the petition was launched by Khwaja Ahmed (surprise again!), whose picture seems to show him with a beard and no mustache, in typical Islamic fashion, and student leader Marium Navid, whose Facebook picture shows her wearing a hijab. (According to the Politico, Ahmed is a member of the Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian Coalition.)
Ironically, the offensive statements made by Maher surely reflect the sentiments of many Berkeley faculty members, not to mention those of many of the students, especially his statements bashing religion in general. For example, “Rational people, anti-religionists, must end their timidity and come out of the closet and assert themselves.”
Would the majority of Berkeley students differ with this? How, then, could Maher’s presence be branded divisive?
And does anyone really think that a drive to oust him from speaking would have been launched if he only attacked religion in general or Christianity in particular?
I have no problem with Muslim students being offended at the idea of Maher being their fall commencement speaker, and I’m the last one to defend Maher from criticism. (For that matter, he can ably defend himself, as he does on this video, responding to the petition.)
And I agree that his comments can often be overly broad and asinine, playing into the worst stereotypes or simply representing Maher’s own anti-theistic perspective.
But would Ben Affleck have challenged Maher (and fellow atheist Sam Harris) if Maher had been blasting Christianity?
The fact remains that there are harsh penalties for conversion from Islam into another religion – including death at the hands of your own family – in some of the largest or most influential Muslim nations in the world (from Pakistan to Iran to Saudi Arabia).
And there is a lengthy list of murderous, well-organized and well-funded Islamic terrorist groups (virtually none of which are found in Christianity) along with a history of murder and mayhem carried out in Muhammad’s name, all of which make Islam especially vulnerable to criticism. (I’m aware that many Muslims are critical of this as well.)
Yet Hollywood can pump out movies, dramas, sitcoms and more featuring Christian-bashing themes that make a mockery of the gospel and that portray ministers as greedy hypocrites, and you can be sure that if one of those non-believing, big-name producers or directors was asked to speak at Berkeley, there would be affirmation rather than condemnation.
The Berkeley students would have done better to launch their petition as offended Muslims.
Instead, what their petition likely indicates is that Christianity and other religions are fair game while Islam is not and that Bill Maher can get away with bashing the Bible but he dare not touch the Quran.
Is anyone really surprised?
