Megyn Kelly discussed the kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls last night in two separate segments. Kelly worked in the exact same gratuitous swipe at Michelle Obama as Fox’s Jesse Watters did. And gratuitously questioned whether mainstream Muslims who condemned the kidnappings really meant it or were just camouflaging their extremism. Even though Kelly didn’t offer any evidence for her suggestion.
In the first segment, with noted anti-Islamist, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Kelly threw in the irrelevant fact that Michelle Obama had not called the Boko Haram terrorists nor mentioned Islam when she spoke about the missing girls over the weekend. It just so happens to be the same irrelevant fact that Fox Nation highlighted in its coverage of Mrs. Obama’s remarks. Significantly, neither Kelly nor Fox Nation explained why this was worth mentioning.
Next came Republican Congressman Mike Rogers. No Democrat or pro-Muslim guest was part of the show.
Rogers said there has been great difficulty “in getting imams to moderate their preaching …and that has to happen. Islam has to take ownership in these kinds of activities. …This obviously isn’t an aberration, it’s a problem that they need to deal with.”
Kelly responded with the following question:
What do you make of the fact that some of these Muslim groups have come out and - at least on paper – condemned this Boko Haram. Is that meaningful or is that cover?
Rogers repled, "Well, I think it’s a good start but it’s only cover if it doesn’t continue."
Instead of offering anything like evidence for her suggestion that any condemnation was “cover,” Kelly went on to bash Brandeis University for revoking Hirsi Ali’s honorary degree and invitation to speak at commencement because she’s a “harsh critic of Islam.” Kelly continued, dialing up her outrage-o-meter “Should American universities be shutting that speech down?”
But Ms. Free Speech Advocate (except for Michelle Obama) was so busy ginning up the Islamophobia and academia hostility in her viewers, she forgot to mention that Hirsi Ali has been invited to speak at Brandeis at a later date. The degree and commencement invitation were rescinded because of growing criticism and, as the New York Times explained, “Universities consider it important to make a distinction between inviting a speaker who may air unpopular or provocative views that the institution does not endorse, and awarding an honorary degree, which is more akin to affirming the body of a recipient’s work.”
Kelly has said her role as a Fox host is to “keep everybody honest” - even though she doesn’t. Keeping herself honest needs some work, too.
