Iranian dissident and women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad sharply criticized Western feminists and liberal activists during an exchange with comedian Bill Maher, accusing them of hypocrisy for defending the hijab while ignoring the realities faced by women living under Sharia law in countries such as Iran and Afghanistan.

The exchange focused on what Alinejad described as a moral double standard among Western activists who, she said, advocate cultural sensitivity abroad while dismissing the lived experiences of women subject to religious coercion.

“Can you believe that the Western feminists who actually went to my country wore hijab, they bowed to the Taliban, they didn’t take the streets yet,” Alinejad said.

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Maher responded by questioning the broader political reaction.

“Why are liberals so moronic about the problem? Really?” he asked.

Alinejad said the issue has deeply personal consequences and expressed frustration that warnings about religious enforcement have long been ignored.

“This breaks my heart, because for years and years, we have been warning them about the dangers of morality police,” she said.

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She argued that many Western commentators speak confidently about Islam without ever experiencing life under its strictest interpretations.

“They never go and live under Sharia laws, but they don’t even let us talk about our own experience,” Alinejad said.

Describing her upbringing, Alinejad said she was raised in a country where failing to comply with dress codes carried severe punishments.

“I grew up in a country where I was told that if you show your hair, you’re going to go to jail, you will receive lashes, you will get killed, like Mahsa Amini,” she said.

She said attempts to speak about these realities are often dismissed as bigotry.

“But here they tell me that if you talk about this, you’re going to cause Islamophobia,” Alinejad said, adding, “Phobia is irrational, but believe me, my fear and the fear of millions of Iranian women in Afghanistan is rational.”

During the exchange, Alinejad challenged the notion that critics of Islamic law are motivated by irrational fear. “Honestly, you’re not scared of Islamic laws. You’re not scared of being killed,” she said.

Maher replied, “Yes, I am.”

“If you don’t then there’s something wrong with you,” Alinejad said.

Maher pressed further, asking why Western activists enable practices they would not accept for themselves.

“How can you enable that? Why do they enable that?” he asked.

Alinejad said those defending the hijab should be willing to live under the same systems they excuse.

“I invite them all to go and live under Sharia laws in Iran and Afghanistan,” she said.

“They would say, No.”

She argued that activists routinely minimize the suffering of women in those countries.

“They always, always try to downplay our cause,” she said, adding that many “don’t even dare to live only one day wearing the burqa or hijab.”

Alinejad singled out Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, saying she challenged them directly.

“Some of them, actually, I challenge Ilhan Omar because you know about her legislation?” she said.

Maher responded, “Yes. The Muslim congresswoman from Minnesota.”

Alinejad criticized proposed efforts to monitor so-called Islamophobia, saying they silence victims of abuse.

“She’s coming now with the legislation gathering information around the world that who causes Islamophobia,” she said.

“Those who lashes us, those who kill us, those who hang us… Those actually create phobia.”

Maher asked whether lawmakers accepted her invitation to engage.

“You invited Congressman Omar and AOC to come. Did they decline your request?” he asked.

“No. Instead they bullying me,” Alinejad said.

“Instead, they’re saying that you’re being paid by the US government. Oh, my God, so Ilhan Omar is not being paid by US government?”

Maher replied, “Well, you’re a very brave person.”

Alinejad said courage was not optional. “I have to be brave because I don’t have any other option, because my people are getting killed,” she said.

She recounted confronting European lawmakers who invited her to speak about cultural bans while excusing compulsory religious dress.

“I went to European Parliament. I hijacked their cause, and I said, How hypocrites you are,” she said.

“When it comes to wearing hijab, you bow to the Iranian government.”

She ended by calling for solidarity with women resisting forced compliance.

“My people in Iran, they are right. Now stand up for Iranian women,” she said.

Maher closed the exchange with a show of support.

“Thank you. Keep your hair flying.”

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