CNN Anchor Don Lemon Slammed on Twitter for Asking Muslim Human Rights Lawyer if He Supports ISIS Terrorist Group [Watch]
Just weeks after placing second on Columbia Journalism Review's "worst journalism in 2014" list, CNN anchor Don Lemon is once again being slammed after critics say he asked a Muslim lawyer a highly inflammatory and offensive question about the Islamic State terror group.
Following the deadly attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, Lemon invited Muslim international human rights lawyer Arsalan Iftikhar on his show to discuss whether radical Islam was to blame for the terror attack that killed 12 people, reports USA Today.
Lemon opened the conversation by citing an August 2014 poll that revealed that 16 percent of French citizens support ISIS. He then went on to ask Iftikhar if he, too, was a supporter of the notorious terrorist organization, which committed a number of barbarous killings and human rights violations in 2014.
"I just want to get more specific," Lemon said during the segment Wednesday evening. "Again, in August, 16 percent of French citizens support ISIS. Would you describe those who support ISIS as Islamic extremists? Do you support ISIS?"
Seemingly dumbfounded by the question, Iftikhar repeated the question.
"Wait. Did you just ask me if I supported ISIS?" Iftikhar, the founder of The Muslim Guy website and senior editor at Islamic Monthly,said. "I just answered your question. I said that obviously these 16 percent of people support the ideology, but again, I don't think that would necessarily extrapolate to supporting of killing of innocent people. Muslims are opposed to terrorism."
In response, critics bashed Lemon.
"Get it together @donlemon. Asking @TheMuslimGuy if he supports ISIS was ignorant. #ThinkBeforeYouSpeak," posted Twitter user @olsensarahm.
"Seriously? This happened? '@EdgeofSports: Did @donlemon just ask @TheMuslimGuy, author of "Islamic Pacifism", if he supports ISIS?!' Smh," tweeted @ProfBlackistone.
Last month, Lemon earned a DART award from the CJR for his many "cringeworthy news blunders" in 2014. This includes asking Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was swallowed by a black hole.
"I know it's preposterous, but is it preposterous?" he said in March.
The top CNN anchor was also criticized for comparing spanking a child to training a dog and for telling an alleged rape victim of Bill Cosby, "You know, there are ways not to perform oral sex if you don't want to do it. ... Meaning the use of teeth, right?"
Watch a video clip of Don Lemon's interview with Arsalan Iftikhar below.
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