Aziz Ansari, the US standup comedian and one of the stars of the sitcom Parks & Recreation, has launched a withering attack on Rupert Murdoch after the mogul’s comments about the Charlie Hebdo killings in Paris.
Murdoch wrote in a tweet: “Maybe most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible.” Ansari sarcastically replied: “Rups can we get a step by step guide? How can my 60 year old parents in NC help destroy terrorist groups? Plz advise.” He followed up by tweeting: “Are you responsible for the evil shit all Christians do or just the insane amount of evil you yourself contribute to?” Other tweets included:
.@rupertmurdoch, you're already a vaguely evil media conglomerate guy and THEN you're ALSO racist? FOR REAL?! You're an evil overachiever!
— Aziz Ansari (@azizansari) January 12, 2015
Taking Murdoch’s logic to a knowingly absurd conclusion, he also wrote: “.@rupertmurdoch is Christian just like Mark David Chapman who shot John Lennon. Why didn’t Rupert stop it? #RupertsFault”, and “.@rupertmurdoch is responsible for all pedophilia committed by anyone Catholic. @rupertmurdoch why are you pro-pedophile :(”.
Replying to a tweet in which Murdoch heralded the “heroic sacrifice” of Muslim police officer Ahmed Merabet, Ansari wrote: “Quit back peddling you racist piece of shit.”
The comedian joins JK Rowling in condemning Murdoch. The Harry Potter author tweeted:
I was born Christian. If that makes Rupert Murdoch my responsibility, I'll auto-excommunicate. http://t.co/Atw1wNk8UX
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 11, 2015
Like Ansari, she also ridiculed Murdoch’s argument, writing: “The Spanish Inquisition was my fault, as is all Christian fundamentalist violence.” She also paid tribute to Lassana Bathily, the Muslim shop-worker who hid Jewish shoppers from the hostage situation in a Parisian grocery store.
