Bill Maher Challenges Charlie Rose: “Islam Is Not Like Other Religions” Bill Maher: I think liberals should stop booing me for pointing out that Islam is not like other religions, that it is a unique threat. Charlie Rose: But it's not Islam you're against. Bill Maher: Howard Dean said, “The people in ISIS... I'm about as Islamic as they are,” distancing the vast numbers of Muslims around the world from it. That's just not true. Charlie Rose: It is true. Bill Maher: It is not true, Charlie. There is a connecting tissue between Charlie Rose: You mean behind every Muslim is a future member of some radical Bill Maher: Let me finish. There are illiberal beliefs held by vast numbers of Muslims that I don't think have Charlie Rose: Vast numbers of Christians, too. Bill Maher: No, that's not true. Vast numbers of Christians don't believe that if you leave Christianity, you should be killed. They don't treat women as second-class citizens, and they don't believe drawing Jesus should get you killed. Does ISIS kill people indiscriminately who aren't like them? Yes. Would most Muslims do that or condone it? No. But most Muslims in the world do condone violence just for what you think. Charlie Rose: How do you know that? Bill Maher: First of all, they say it. There's a Pew poll of Egypt where 82% said stoning was the appropriate punishment for adultery, and over 80% thought death was appropriate for leaving Islam. So to claim this religion is like other religions is naive and wrong. Saudi Arabia has also beheaded people for nonviolent crimes, including homosexuality. Charlie Rose: They even cut the hands off a thief. Bill Maher: Right. We're upset when ISIS beheads people, as we should be, but Saudi Arabia does it too, and they're our friends because they have oil. This is the centre of the religion. In Mecca, non-Muslims aren't even allowed into the holy part of the city. If people were being beheaded in Vatican City, don't you think there'd be a bigger outcry? This is the soft bigotry of low expectations. When Muslim people do or believe things we consider extreme, it's somehow not discussed nearly as much. Charlie Rose: I don't believe what we see with ISIS represents Islam. I don't think the Quran teaches them to do this. Bill Maher: Well, you're wrong about that. The Quran absolutely has horrible things about how infidels should be treated. And can we really say women are treated equally in the Muslim world? Their testimony in court is often counted as half. They may need permission to leave the house, and women are forced to wear burqas. And I hear liberals say, “Well, they want to.” They've been brainwashed.