Directioners Want Bill Maher to Apologize to Zayn Malik For Boston Marathon Bomber Joke

Directioners have put Bill Maher under fire after he made a joke that compared Zayn Malik to the Boston Marathon bomber, and they want him to apologize for it.

In a web-only video posted on The Real Time with Bill Maher YouTube channel on March 30, the comedian joked about Zayn's exit from One Direction. "I think after everything we’ve been through, I at least deserved the common respect of being told face to face," he said as a photo of Zayn pops up on the screen.

Then he continued the joke by saying,"Just tell me two things, Zayn. Which one in the band were you?" And where were you during the Boston Marathon?"

As he spoke, an image of accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was placed next to Zayn's picture.

Hashtagging tweets with #RespectForZayn, Directioners flooded Twitter with their thoughts about what Bill said and felt that he was criticizing Zayn's Muslim faith and his appearance. One fan also started a petition urging The Real Time with Bill Maher host to apologize for his comments toward Zayn.

Fans weren't the only ones who were offended by the commentary. The Council on American Islamic Relations also felt that he went too far. "It shows that he's really not missing an opportunity to engage in his Islamaphobic themes," Ibrahim Hooper told People. "He serves to legitimize Islamaphobic in the left which is one of the unfortunate byproducts of his intolerance of Islam and Muslims."

Neither Bill nor Zayn have made any comments about the situation.

This isn't the first time Directioners have come to Zayn's defense. The Daily Show was put in the hot seat when the show associated One Direction with a "new terrorist group" as part of a comedic skit.

What do you think? Do you feel that Bill Maher's joke was out of line?

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