The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is upset that Bill Maher, the outspoken host of HBO, was chosen to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center. CAIR says that Maher’s long history of criticizing Islam and openly supporting Israel makes him unworthy of such an award.
CAIR publicly criticized the Kennedy Center’s choice, saying that honoring Maher ignores his history of making “bigoted” comments about Islam. This backlash is similar to others, like Maher’s 2014 debate with Ben Affleck on Real Time, where he defended criticizing Islamic practices as not being in line with liberal values. The group thinks the award supports divisive speech, especially since there are still tensions around the world.
Maher has always denied being Islamophobic, saying that his comments are aimed at extremism and not all Muslims. Recent reports say that the White House denied being involved in the award process, even though there were rumors that it was connected to President Trump’s circle. Maher once had dinner with Trump and praised some of his policies. The Mark Twain Prize event, which will take place later this year, will now focus on debates about free speech in comedy.
