It was hard to know whether to laugh or cry over Sean Hannity’s decision to host a debate between anti-Muslim extremist Pamela Geller and radical imam Anjem Choudary.

The laughable part is how crazy the whole thing was. Hannity had no intention of elucidating anything or even informing viewers in any way. His sole purpose was clearly to validate Geller’s hate mongering against Islam. As if this would really work.

Geller is in need of some image rehab. A slew of Fox News conservatives have criticized her anti-Muslim “Draw the Prophet” stunt that nearly triggered a tragedy. Donald Trump announced, on Fox News, that Geller is “an obnoxious blowhard.” Host Neil Cavuto did not object.

The sad thing is that Hannity gave credibility to both guests. I’ve previously discussed Geller’s brand of extremism. Here’s how Media Matters explains Choudary’s:

Choudary is a radical Islamic preacher from the United Kingdom, and has links to Britons who have fought in Syria for the Islamic State. The advocacy group Hope Not Hate has described Choudary as “the single biggest gateway to terrorism in recent British history,” saying he has “facilitated or encouraged” many Muslims to join the anti-Assad militants in Syria. Muslim groups in the United Kingdom have also denounced Choudary. The Muslim Council of Britain called him “a self-serving publicity seeker,” and the Islamic Society of Britain said Choudary “has no legitimacy in the Muslim community.”

Yet Choudary has repeatedly been a guest on the Hannity show.

The laughable part is that Hannity apparently thought everyone would take one look at Choudary - who endorsed capital punishment for blasphemy such as Geller's - and think "Aha! Geller is right about Muslims!" But Geller didn’t exactly come off looking rational. She insisted that her stunt – which could easily have resulted in multiple deaths - “saved lives.”

In fact, Geller knew that her stunt would endanger lives. From The Boston Globe:

Many in Garland objected to the event. Some, including Muslims, said it was blasphemous. Others cited ‘‘public safety’’ concerns.

… ‘‘I expected that people would come to realize how severely the freedom of speech is threatened today, and how much it needs to be defended,’’ she told The (Washington) Post.  ‘We were prepared for violence.’’ Her group’s website said ‘‘we know the risks’’ and that the ‘‘exhibit has to be staged.’’

For his part, Hannity was left sputtering like a maniac at a seemingly serene Choudary, “You’re pathetic! …You’re just pathetic! …You’re evil and pathetic!” Hannity cried.

The crazy would have been funnier if there weren’t so much at stake.

The Southern Poverty Law Center noted about the segment, “Ms. Geller and Mr. Choudary represent nothing more than an extreme political fringe. Their divisive behavior is made even worse by the fact that Ms. Geller is now positioning herself to be a defender of free speech, while Mr. Choudary is purporting to speak on behalf of all Muslims.”

This was the third night in a row that Geller has appeared on Hannity. Let’s hope that now that Hannity thinks he has vindicated her honor, Geller slinks back into the black hole she came out of. 

Watch it below, from the May 6 Hannity.