Do you remember where you were when the CNN anchor was called out for not understanding the definition of an automatic weapon? Do you smile every time you hear a Talib Kweli track, remembering the time Lemon yelled at him? Does your head still hurt trying to comprehend how a lead broadcaster for one of America’s major news networks could seriously consider that missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 could have been swallowed by a black hole?
To this long list of grievances, add Lemon’s January 7 interview with Arsalan Iftikhar, human rights lawyer and founder of The Muslim Guy website.
In the interview, Lemon speaks to Iftikhar about the public’s perception of greater Islam following the attack on Charlie Hebdo by Islamic extremists on Wednesday.
Iftikhar calls the attacks a “crime against humanity.”
“If you survey the vast majority of Muslims around the world, they would certainly say that the killing of innocent civilians is not only murder, but it’s also against any normative mainstream teaching of Islam,” Iftikhar says. “Their acts are about as Muslim as abortion clinic bombers’ or gay night club bombers’ acts are Christian.”
To which Lemon nods, agrees, and slips on a pair of glasses.
Iftikhar provides the example of Anders Breivik, the Norwegian mass shooter whose religious manifesto was never seen as being emblematic of Christianity as a whole.
“When Christians commit acts of terror, we don’t ask priests and pastors to go on national television to condemn these acts, but sadly Muslim public intellectuals, thinkers, leaders, and Islamic scholars have that double standard that we have to deal with,” he says.
After raising a poll which cites 16% of French citizens supporting ISIL, Lemon asks Iftikhar if these supporters can be considered “Islamic extremists.”
“They obviously have sympathies for that ideology,” Iftikhar responds, warily, detecting the first sign of troubles to come. “I don’t think that would mean they would justify the killing of innocent civilians or murdering people on the streets.”
“There has been no religion in the history of the world that has been immune to acts of religious terrorism,” he adds.
But what about that 16%, Don “Stick-to-His-Guns” Lemon wants to know? What about ISIL?
“Again…would you describe those who support ISIS as Islamic extremists? Do you support ISIS?” Lemon asks.
Iftikhar is, predictably, stunned. Just as Don Lemon has, at one time or another, stunned us all.
“Wait, did you ask if I support ISIS?” he asks.
From there, the interview hastily, yet cordially, comes to an end. Lemon looks particularly proud of himself for asking the hard questions, and most likely ends his day with a glass of brandy while propping his feet on a coffee table.
Stay classy, Don Lemon. Stay classy.
