Muslim group wants Bill Maher removed as Berkeley commencement speaker

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"Bill Maher is a blatant bigot and racist who has no respect for the values UC Berkeley students and administration stand for," a petition on Change.org states. "In a time where climate is a priority for all on campus, we cannot invite an individual who himself perpetuates a dangerous learning environment.

"Bill Maher's public statements on various religions and cultures are offensive and his dangerous rhetoric has found its way into our campus communities."

The petition points to a recent episode of Maher's HBO show "Real Time" as an example. (HBO, like CNN, is a division of Time Warner.) When actor Ben Affleck appeared on the program in early October, their conversation turned into a heated debate about Islam that many in the Muslim community found hurtful.

"Islam is the only religion that acts like the mafia that will f***ing kill you if you say the wrong thing," Maher said during the episode, which is cited on the students' petition as an example of Maher's "hate speech."

The Change.org petition had more than 2,200 signatures as of Tuesday morning. It appears to have been written by Khwaja Ahmed, an active member of the Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian Coalition, according to Berkeley's student newspaper.

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