Celebrity Bill Maher Sparks Race Row After Comparing Zayn Malik to the Boston Marathon Bomber A joke on the comedian's HBO show sparked outrage and accusations of racism against the British singer By Lindsay Kimble Lindsay Kimble Lindsay Kimble is a Senior Digital News Editor and the Sports Editor for PEOPLE Digital. She's worked at PEOPLE for over seven years as a writer, reporter and editor across our Entertainment, Lifestyle and News teams, covering everything from the Super Bowl to the Met Gala. She's been nominated for the ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30, and previously wrote for Us Weekly while on staff at Wenner Media. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 5, 2015 11:55 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Comedian Bill Maher is in hot water after he made a joke about Zayn Malik‘s appearance following his departure from British boy band One Direction. The Real Time with Bill Maher host made the jab in a short online-only bit that was posted last week. Maher, 59, begins by jokingly calling into question the 22-year-old’s decision to quit the popular group. “I think after everything we ve been through, I at least deserved the common respect of being told face to face,” he says, while sharing the screen with an image of the pop crooner. “Just tell me two things, Zayn. Which one in the band were you?” he continued, “And where were you during the Boston Marathon?” At this point, Zayn’s image was shown next to accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Many fans felt the comedian was mocking not only Malik’s Muslim faith but also his appearance. The bizarre comparison lead to a worldwide trending topic #RespectForZayn on Twitter. Ibrahim Hooper, the spokesperson for Council on American-Islamic Relations, tells PEOPLE that Maher’s comments were out of line. “It shows that he’s really not missing an opportunity to engage in his Islamaphobic themes,” Hooper says. “He serves to legitimize Islamaphobia in the left which is one of the unfortunate byproducts of his intolerance of Islam and Muslims.” This isn’s the first time Maher has been criticized for his comments about Muslims. In 2014, students at University of California, Berkeley, objected to the comedian giving a speech at the university’s December commencement ceremony after he likened Islam to the Mafia on his show. Malik, who announced he was leaving One Direction on March 25, is reportedly already working on solo music. In their first interview since his departure, the remaining members of the popular boy band said they remain 100 percent committed to the group. • Reporting by MARIA MERCEDES LARA Hollywood Speaks out about Zayn Malik’s Decision to Leave One Direction