The school made note that it wasn’t endorsing Maher’s statements on Islam. Berkeley admin: Let Maher speak

The University of California, Berkeley, is sticking with Bill Maher.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the school’s administration said it would stand by the liberal comedian for its December commencement address despite a student petition decrying his comments on Islam.


The school said that the undergraduate student committee tasked with selecting the university’s commencement speakers had recommended the school take back Maher’s invitation.

“The UC Berkeley administration cannot and will not accept this decision, which appears to have been based solely on Mr. Maher’s opinions and beliefs, which he conveyed through constitutionally protected speech,” the statement read.

The school made note that it wasn’t endorsing Maher’s statements on Islam. “[I]ndeed, the administration’s position on Mr. Maher’s opinions and perspectives is irrelevant in this context, since we fully respect and support his right to express them,” the statement said. “More broadly, this university has not in the past and will not in the future shy away from hosting speakers who some deem provocative.”

More than 4,000 people signed on to a petition to have Maher removed as commencement speaker because of his critical statements of Islam. Most recently, the liberal comedian made headlines when he and Sam Harris — an author whose books have addressed the corrosive influence of organized religion — got into a heated exchange with actor Ben Affleck after they made comments urging liberals to stand up against Islam. Affleck at one point called Harris and Maher’s views on the religion “gross and racist.”

The petition, started by two Berkeley students, said Maher’s statements disqualified him from speaking at the commencement ceremony. “Bill Maher is a blatant bigot and racist who has no respect for the values UC Berkeley students and administration stand for,” the petition said. “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The university’s move stands in contrast to decisions made by other institutions who rescinded commencement invitations due to student protests earlier this year. In particular, Rutgers University revoked the invitation of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Smith College turned down International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde partly due to student pressure.

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