A discussion on Islam on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" turned into a heated debate when actor Ben Affleck accused host Bill Maher and other panelists of unfairly maligning the vast majority of Muslims. "Liberals need to stand up for liberal principles," Maher said at the beginning of the segment. "All I am saying is that liberal principles like freedom of speech, the freedom to practice any religion that you want without fear of violence, freedom to leave a religion, equality for women, equalities for minorities, including homosexuals, these are liberal principles that liberals applaud for, but then when you say in the Muslim world this is what is lacking, they get upset." Affleck disagreed, saying Maher and other panelists such author Sam Harris were generalizing, accusing them of basing their views on a statistically flawed analysis. "How about more than a billion people who aren't fanatical, who don't punch women, who just want to go to school, have some sandwiches, pray five times a day, and don't do any of the things you're saying of all Muslims. It's stereotyping. ... Some of them do bad things and you're painting the whole religion with that broad brush," Affleck said. "A billion people, all these billion don't hold these pernicious beliefs-" Maher asked rhetorically, saying that liberals were mischaracterizing Muslim extremists as a few bad apples. "That's just not true, Ben, that's just not true." Maher also noted that Muslims who hold moderate views are threatened by Islamic radicals. "One reason they [the moderates] don't get exposed is because they're afraid to speak out because it's the only religion that acts like the mafia that will [expletive] kill you if you say the wrong thing, draw the wrong picture or write the wrong book. There's a reason why [author] Ayaan Hirsi Ali needs bodyguards 24/7." At one point Affleck said the other panelists' comments were "gross." "It's racist, it's like saying you are a shifty Jew," Affleck said.
Ben Affleck accuses panelists of 'gross, racist' comments on Islam
After HBO host Bill Maher says liberals are hypocritical for not championing the rights of minorities and women in Muslim world, actor Ben Affleck attacks host for casting entire faith in negative light • "It's like saying you are a shifty Jew," he says.
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