In a CNN interview Monday, religious scholar Reza Aslan slammed comedian Bill Maher and CNN anchors Don Lemon and Alisyn Camerota over what he considers their simplifications and mischaracterizations of Islam.

Aslan’s explanations of the nuances of a religion that involves 1.6 billion people may have fallen on deaf ears. He called the subjugation of women in Islamic countries a regional rather than a religious problem. The predominantly Muslim country of Indonesia, he offered, recognizes the same political rights for women as it does for men. And Turkey has more female politicians than the U.S. does, he added.

Aslan concluded by saying both CNN and Maher’s rhetoric amounted to bigotry.

—Posted by Donald Kaufman