Comedian and talk show host Bill Maher took liberals to task Saturday evening for cherry-picking when to call out Islamic extremism.
During an appearance at New York’s Madison Square Garden, he opined that it is too too easy to show solidarity with the victims of Friday’s Paris terrorist attacks while failing to decry the state of Muslim women around the world who have little, if any, voice in their own lives.
Mr. Maher, who typically espouses liberal views on his show and in his stand-up, particularly took his liberal colleagues to task for making a cause celebre of 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed, who was questioned by Texas police after bringing to school a homemade clock that his teacher mistook for a bomb. His story went viral and lead to a hashtag #IStandWithAhmed.
“He was not arrested, he was not beaten, he was detained and questioned,” Mr. Maher said, noting on his HBO show that he believed the police did due diligence in the case.
The comedian returned to the theme of how “Clock Boy” became a beacon of liberal outrage while the state of Muslims — particularly women — throughout the world remains so grim and not called out for fear of being seen as politically incorrect.
Mr. Maher returned to a familiar theme in his stand-up — questioning why the U.S. retains a military presence around the world, including in the Middle East and Germany.
“Hitler, we got him,” Mr. Maher said, pondering why the U.S. keeps more than 50,000 troops in Germany 70 years after the end of World War II.
“If there were 50,000 Guatemalans in [one place] in [the U.S.], Donald Trump himself would become a suicide bomber,” the comedian jested of the GOP presidential candidate, whose tough talk on illegal immigration includes building a wall along the southern border.
He also said on his show, “Real Time With Bill Maher,” Friday evening that the U.S.’ presence in the Middle East incenses Islamists to actions like the Paris attacks.
“Why do they hate us? … They hate us because we’re there,” he said.
• Eric Althoff can be reached at twt@washingtontimes.com.
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