Liberal HBO talk-show host Bill Maher argued Friday that something was particularly wrong with Islam when it involves acts of violence and terrorism.
He said on his "Real Time With Bill Maher" show that President Barack Obama and other Democrats should reflect British Prime Minister David Cameron's view that religious values cannot take precedence over Western ones,
Mediaite reports.
"I would love to hear that first," Maher said. "Of course, it’s wrong when any Muslim American is given a dirty look or asked extra questions — but it's not the same as people getting shot.
"We have to put things in perspective," he said.
The comments set off a fierce exchange between Maher and retired Army Col. Lawrence Wilkerson.
"It’s not just Muslims that shoot people," Wilkerson said, mentioning American Timothy McVeigh in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings.
"That is a false equivalency," Maher shot back. "How many Muslim-inspired terrorist attacks have there been … and how many Christian-inspired?"
Wilkerson argued that the lone-wolf attackers — "any people who go off their rockers and start killing people" — were more dangerous over those inspired by Islam because they cannot be tracked by law enforcement.
Maher disagreed.
"They are trying to get a nuclear weapon," the host retorted, referring to Islamic extremists. "I don’t see any Christian groups trying to get a nuclear weapon."
But conservative commentator Emily Miller said that Orlando gunman Omar Mateen should not be seen as a lone wolf — since he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and had visited Saudi Arabia twice — while actor Ravi Patel said that such terrorists invoke ISIS in order to "feel validated."
In addition, Business Insider senior editor Josh Barro cited last year's Planned Parenthood shooting in Colorado to emphasize that terrorism is not confined to radical Muslims.
"I'm not saying that all bad things happen in the Muslim world," Maher countered. "I am saying that you have to go where the preponderance of it is.
"There is no doubt that a lot of it happens in this sphere, in the name of religion." And because many Muslim nations still perform "two-finger tests" for virginity, liberals must stand up liberal values, Maher said.
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