Netflix show accused of Islamophobia by Hasan Minhaj, who has a Netflix show

CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 11/12/2018, 2:29 p.m.
Less than one month after premiering his talk show on Netflix, comedian Hasan Minhaj is proving he's not afraid of …
Netflix

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN

(CNN) -- Less than one month after premiering his talk show on Netflix, comedian Hasan Minhaj is proving he's not afraid of speaking his mind, even when his target is another show that airs on Netflix.

Minhaj accuses the Netflix drama "The Bodyguard" of Islamophobia during the most recent episode of his series "Patriot Act," which focused on what he calls "America's obsession with oil."

In one portion of the episode, Minhaj goes after Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, who he points out is an admirer of Teddy Roosevelt.

Minhaj criticizes what he perceived to be Zinke's hypocrisy.

"Roosevelt's vision for our national parks was inspiring...You can't idolize Teddy Roosevelt and destroy the environment," says Minhaj. "That's like Netflix having the first Muslim talk show host and 'Bodyguard.' Stay woke, Netflix!"

He adds: "It's so good, you almost forget about the Islamophobia."

"Bodyguard" is a six-part British series starring Richard Madden and Keeley Hawes.

It debuted on the BBC in August and became available to American audiences via Netflix roughly a month after its conclusion.

Creator Jed Mercurio has previously defended "Bodyguard" against accusations of Islamophobia, urging people to conclude the series before making judgments.

"The other thing is, unfortunately, the reality of our situation is that the principal terror threats in the UK do originate from Islamist sympathizers," Mercurio says in an interview with the Independent. "I do understand that's different from the religion of Islam, but it's the reality of who the perpetrators are of the majority of the offenses. If the show were set in the recent British past, the attackers might be Irish republicans."

The "Bodyguard" is streaming now on Netflix.

New episodes of "Patriot Act" are released on Sundays.