HBO talk show host Bill Maher blasted President Obama on Friday for saying religion isn’t responsible for terrorism, comparing the president’s statement to a National Rifle Association slogan.
Mr. Maher said Friday that when Mr. Obama said “No religion is responsible for terrorism. People are responsible for violence and terrorism,” that statement bore a striking resemblance to the NRA slogan, “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.”
Mr. Maher said that administration’s reluctance to use the terms “Islamic terrorism” seems Orwellian.
“It seems like we’re paying a very high price for this, which is that we can’t even discuss it rationally. Can’t we at least say that there are a number of factors involved and the religion is certainly one of them?” Mr. Maher said, Mediaite reported Saturday. “This idea, he presented this idea that ’Well, it’s poverty and education.’ It is poverty and education also, but why are they impoverished and uneducated? It’s mostly because of the religion.”
Mr. Maher added that although Middle East dictators like Saddam Hussein had committed gross crimes against humanity, they were also keeping a lid on extremist groups that were boiling over.
“He and Gadhafi always said to America, ’You don’t understand what I’m dealing with. Yes, I’m a bad guy, but you have no idea how crazy some of the people in my country are,’” Mr. Maher said.
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Mr. Maher said that Muslim allies in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Jordan should be sending ground troops in to fight the extremist militants and not rely on American military powers and he called on moderate Muslims to stand up against the Islamic State.
“They’re always expecting us to bail them out. This would be a great time for moderate Muslims, who I hear so much about, why don’t you go to the Middle East and fight ISIS?” Mr. Maher said.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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