Don Lemon Asks Muslim Human Rights Attorney, ‘Do You Support ISIS?’, Sparks Outrage [Video]

Don Lemon is kicking off another year with jaw-dropping questions and remarks. During a recent interview with Muslim human rights attorney, Arsalan Iftikhar, if he supports ISIS. The jaw-dropping question has definitely made created a bit of a stir, and it appears Lemon may have ruffled some feathers once again. The notable lawyer and founder of The Muslim Guy website, stopped by CNN Tonight on Wednesday, Jan.7 where he and Lemon discussed the “crimes against humanity” that have taken place.

Here’s an excerpt from the heated conversation that led to the jaw-dropping question:

“If you survey the vast majority of Muslims around the world, they would certainly say that the killing of innocent civilians is not only murder, but it’s also against any normative mainstream teaching of Islam,” Iftikhar explained. “Their acts are about as Muslim as abortion clinic bombers’ or gay night club bombers’ acts are Christian.”

“What you’re saying though, that’s not always a reality of what people think about Islam,” Lemon noted.

“It’s important not to conflate the actions of a very few to a population of 1.7 billion people, which represents 20 percent of the world’s population,” Iftikhar cited. “You know, if people want to blame Islam for things, you know, they can blame us for inventing algebra or modern medical anesthesia or having five out of the last 12 Nobel Peace Prize winners.”

“When Christians commit acts of terror, we don’t asks priests and pastors to go on national television to condemn these acts, but sadly Muslim public intellectuals, thinkers, leaders, and Islamic scholars have that double standard that we have to deal with,” he said. “I think it’s important to keep in mind that bringing religion into it at all is actually serving the purposes of the terrorists.”

“Again in August, 16 percent of French citizens support ISIS,” Lemon said. “Would you describe those who support ISIS as Islamic extremists? Do you support ISIS?”

Lemon basically asked Iftikhar if he’s an Islamic extremist and a supporter of ISIS. The questions obviously shocked Iftikhar. His priceless reaction definitely made that quite clear. But, he recovered rather quickly with a detailed explanation about his perspective on the series of events that have taken place. He reiterated how he vehemently condemns the Paris terrorists attack on Charlie Hebdo and the killing of innocent people.

“Wait,” Iftikhar said, “Did you just ask me if I support ISIS? 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.”

Although, Iftikhar was quite shocked by the question, many people aren’t surprised by Lemon’s poor choice of words. According to Raw Story, there have been several occasions where the 48-year-old news anchor has raised eyebrows and left viewers and critics scratching their heads. Lemon, who was dubbed one of the “Worst Journalists of 2014,” had several less-than-stellar moments during notable interviews last year. The unforgettable incidents and seemingly inappropriate questions and statements that led many to question his credibility.

During an interview with an alleged rape victim, Lemon questioned the woman’s claims by arguing that there are “ways not to perform oral sex if you didn’t want to do it.” Several news outlets slammed the CNN anchor and accused him of “victim-blaming.” Then, there was the mishap during his coverage on the Michael Brown case and the riots in Ferguson. Lemon stated that Ferguson “obviously smelled like marijuana.”

However, this particular incident has only added fuel to the fire. Many are asking if he’s already a candidate for “Worst Journalist of 2015,” while others are wondering how he’s still on air in 2015. Of course, many viewers have taken to Twitter with their thoughts on the recent interview. Needless to say, not many people had great things to say.

Why is he still on air? RT @voxdotcom: CNN's Don Lemon asks Muslim-American human rights lawyer if he supports ISIS: http://t.co/RgfSP8l2uR

— Brian K (@bktandem) January 8, 2015

@ggreenwald Don Lemon… I got nothing.

— Kevin Troope (@troopek) January 8, 2015

In the past 2mo, Don Lemon has insulted protesters in Ferguson, a rape victim, and a Muslim human rights lawyer w his idiotic questions.

— Miriam Elder (@MiriamElder) January 8, 2015

What do you think about Don Lemon’s shocking question? Share your thoughts.

[Image via YouTube]