Bill Maher stands by anti-Muslim remarks
3 November 2010
3 Comments
Islamophobia Watch – Documenting anti Muslim bigotry
Bill Maher showed up on CNN to talk about comments he made on Real Time regarding the “alarming” number of “baby Mohammeds” in England. Maher told Wolf Blitzer that he felt no need to “apologize for being a proud Westerner”, or for being worried that “Muslim people in these [Western] societies are having babies” at a faster clip than non-Muslims.
He clarified: “And when I say Westerner, I mean someone who believes in the values that Western people believe in that a lot of the Muslim world does not. Like separation of church and state. Like equality of the sexes. Like respect for minorities, free elections, free speech, freedom to gather. These things are not just different from cultures that don’t have them…. It’s better…. I would like to keep those values here.”
See also “Bill Maher’s anti-Muslim fixation”, TPM, 1 November 2010
Original post: Bill Maher stands by anti-Muslim remarks
As someone who is fighting this battle daily, making a documentary about the backlash against the construction of a new Islamic Center in Murfreesboro, TN and getting involved in activism to support religious freedom – I do feel that the manner in which Bill Maher express his concerns was irresponsible.
That said, this is after all Bill Maher. He is an equal opportunity discriminator when it comes to religion in general
But I do think he is expressing a genuine concern that is on the minds of many “Westerners”. People have a hard time separating religion, culture and government. So when we look at say Iran or Saudi Arabia and think of them as Islamic countries, no one in America really wants to see the growth of that mindset. We value our freedoms, our separation of church and state, gender equality, free speech and so on.
I don’t mean this in a condescending way, but globally speaking I do feel that the Islamic world is still, in many ways, stuck in the dark ages. And I do feel that the Muslim world, generally speaking, would benefit from something of a reform movement.
And what better place for those reforms to take hold than in the West. That is largely why I do support the building of a mosque in Downtown New York and right in the middle of the Bible Belt in Murfreesboro, TN.
The consequences of a reform movement not taking hold concern me. The benefits of seeing more and more of the 1.57 billion Muslim population becoming more modern and free are huge.
So although I think Maher’s style in expressing his concerns is harsh, I cannot in good conscience just write him off as the “Loon at Large”.
Peace,
Eric Allen Bell
http://www.Facebook.com/EricAllenBell
3 November 2010 at 7:24 pm