On the Friday broadcast of his HBO show Real Time, Bill Maher told liberals see the world the way they want it rather than the way it is when it comes to the threat of Islam and Islamic terror. Maher, a religious critic, told his fellow liberals he wishes they would have the same "intolerance" for Muslim-related terror around the world that they do for Christians and Christian fundamentalists at home.



Maher brought up the decision by the Italians to cover up nude statues during a state visit by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.



"This is the horribleness of what's going on in Rome. Oh my God, naked titties and tiny penises!" Maher joked.



"I think people are mixing up two things: tolerance and capitulation," the HBO host observed. "It's one thing to be tolerant of another culture, but this is out culture, you know? Christianity had a problem with titties, in like 1300. We got over it. So we shouldn't change our culture to a more backward culture, should we."



Radio talk show host Thom Hartmann, the number one liberal talker in the nation, chimed in to say this is not a Muslim problem, but a "fundamentalist problem." Hartmann also made a reference to former Attorney John Ashcroft covering up a nude statue at the Department of Justice doing his tenure. Maher stopped him right there.



"Except when it happened in this country, the liberals laughed at him and they opposed him," Maher told Hartmann. "I wish they would have the same enthusiasm for intolerance elsewhere in the world as they do for Christians here at home who really aren't a problem because they don't really get their way. It's laughable."



Maher said liberals see the world the way they want it to be rather than the way it is.



"Liberals have to stop insisting that the world is the way they want it to be instead of the way it is," Maher said.



"After the San Bernardino attacks... I heard all over the TV, everybody was saying, 'If only Americans knew more about Islam they wouldn't be so afraid.' Actually, it's the reverse," Maher said.



Transcript below.





BILL MAHER: I mentioned this in the monologue, the covering up of the statues in Rome.



[photo of nude Roman antiquities being covered up in anticipating from an Iranian visit]



This is the horribleness of what's going on in Rome. Oh my God, naked titties and tiny penises! This is what they did.



I think people are mixing up two things: tolerance and capitulation.



It's one thing to be tolerant of another culture, but this is out culture, you know? Christianity had a problem with titties, in like 1300. We got over it. So we shouldn't change our culture to a more backward culture, should we?...



THOM HARTMANN, LIBERAL RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Ask John Ashcroft. This is not a Muslim problem, it is a fundamentalist problem. John Ashcroft is a fundamentalist Christian.



MAHER: You know what? Except when it happened in this country, the liberals laughed at him. And they opposed him. I wish they would have the same enthusiasm for intolerance elsewhere in the world as they do for Christians here at home who really aren't a problem because they don't really get their way. It's laughable.



HARTMANN: Except that he covered that for four years...