‘Terrorism Is A Virus’: Comedian Bassem Youssef Goes Second Round With Piers Morgan
Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef described “terrorism” as a “virus” in his second interview with Piers Morgan in a wide ranging 2-hour long conversation.
The interview followed the success of Youssef’s previous appearance on TalkTV’s Piers Morgan Uncensored, which garnered over 20 million views, and began with the comedian gifting Morgan olive oil from the West Bank.
Youssef, during his prior interview, had humorously remarked about the resilience of Palestinians, and said: “All I did was just take the talking points … take reality, flip it on its head, exaggerate it.” He had commented about Palestinians being “very difficult to kill”.
The conversation focused on the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip due to Israel’s military campaign, which has resulted in approximately 8,000 Palestinian casualties according to Palestinian sources.
While Morgan highlighted the brutality of the Hamas attacks that led to the death of 1,400 people in southern Israel, he also questioned the disproportionate nature of Israel’s retaliation, especially concerning the death toll of children in Gaza.
Expressing his views, Youssef indicated that the attacks by Israel were no longer just against Hamas but were impacting the larger Palestinian population in Gaza. He asserted, “This is not eye for an eye any more. This is an eye, a limb, a life, a house, a neighbourhood, a whole population – for an eye … it’s not about Hamas any more.”
“Terrorism is a virus,” the comedian said. He compared the situation to treating a flu patient, emphasising the need for nurturing rather than weakening, which he believes Israel is doing to the Palestinian populace, making it hard for them to rid themselves of “hate and radicalism.”
Youssef also highlighted the changing dynamics of how the West have confronted the Israeli-Palestinian situation. He contended that the response by the Israeli military posed unparalleled moral quandaries for the West in recent times.
He pinpointed that the West’s philosophical dedication to liberal principles, human rights, and equality seems to be wavering in light of their reaction to the conflict. In Youssef’s view, this ethical shift has broad ramifications for the Western nations.
The comedian also went on to discuss the challenges faced by Jewish citizens around the globe due to rising anti-Semitism following the Hamas attacks.
Youssef said he believed that the immense viewership of his first interview with Morgan was because the narrative from the Palestinian side is often underrepresented in western media, stating, “They’re not being heard by the media. The plight and the suffering of the brothers in Palestine and in the Arab world are not being heard.”
He said that commentators often face backlash regardless of their position and mentioned not only had some critics labelled him a “terrorist sympathiser” but that he had received death threats.
