The Michigan chapter and national headquarters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) to apologize for her “deeply hypocritical” appearance on Bill Maher’s show and denounce his long history of anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Arab racism.
Slotkin appeared as the primary guest on Maher’s show last week, just days after she denounced a Muslim politician for associating with a podcaster, Hasan Piker, who she accused of antisemitism, which he has denied.
In a statement, CAIR and CAIR-Michigan said:
“We call on Senator Slotkin to apologize for appearing on Bill Maher’s show and to denounce his long history of anti-Muslim hate and anti-Arab racism. It was deeply hypocritical for Senator Slotkin to embrace Bill Maher just days after she denounced a Muslim politician for associating with a podcaster accused of bigotry.
“The double standards that American Muslims face, even from a senator who represents one of our nation’s largest Muslim populations, are truly remarkable. If consistency means anything to Senator Slotkin–and if she believes hate against any of her constituents is unacceptable–she must denounce Bill Maher’s bigotry and apologize for embracing him.”
SEE: Bill Maher’s Muslim Problem
SEE: A History of Bill Maher’s Remarks on Islam
SEE: Bill Maher is Right – Islam is Freedom’s Enemy
Bill Maher has a long history of making racist remarks about Arabs, expressing hatred against Islam, and justifying the Israeli government’s crimes against Muslim and Arab populations. Maher has claimed that ISIS accurately represents most Muslims and that Arabs are dangerous to women. Maher’s specific statements include:
- “Talk to women who’ve ever dated an Arab man. The results are not good.”
- “It speaks volumes about why liberal western culture is not just different. It’s better. President Obama keeps insisting that Isis is not Islamic. Well, maybe they don’t practice the Muslim faith in the same way he does.
- “The most popular name in the United Kingdom, Great Britain – this was in the news this week – was Mohammed. Am I a racist to feel that I’m alarmed by that? Because I am. And it’s not because of the race, it’s because of the religion. I don’t have to apologize, do I, for not wanting the Western world to be taken over by Islam in 300 years?”
- “If vast numbers of Muslims across the world believe – and they do – that humans deserve to die for merely holding a different idea or drawing a cartoon or writing a book or eloping with the wrong person, not only does the Muslim world have something in common with Isis. It has too much in common with Isis.”
- “China’s like the new Islam. We can’t be honest about them because they’re not white,” he said. “And China, okay, I’m sorry, kids, they do some bad things, China. And we should just recognize that.”
- “I’m a proud liberal. I’ve been trying to convince liberals, some of them, that they need to go back to school on this issue of Islam and what it means to be a liberal.”
- “They start with this premise in their head that all religions are alike, all cultures are alike. It’s a religion of peace, everything is pretty much equal. Don’t judge. But they don’t really have knowledge of it.”
- “These are people — we are liberals, and we are liberals on almost every issue, but not the Muslim issue.”
- “You wrote an essay, I think it was an op-ed in the New York Times soon after 9/11, you said and I think it was entitled “Yes, This Is About Islam” because that’s the mantra, is that it’s not about one religion. And I think that what us 9/11 liberals say is, yes it is about this one religion because it is different. There is no other religion that is asking for the death of people…
Last week, CAIR’s national office said that the Kennedy Center’s planned award of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to Bill Maher “highlights the glaring double standards surrounding bigotry and violence that exist in our society.”
According to CAIR’s most recent civil rights report, complaints of anti-Muslim bias and discrimination have continued to rise nationwide, reflecting an ongoing pattern of Islamophobia impacting communities across the country.
SEE: 2026 Civil Rights Report: The Right to be Different
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar
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CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, dwalid@cair.com; CAIR Lead Staff Attorney Amy Doukoure, 586-943-8823, adoukoure@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com