Bill Maher, the smugly caustic political satirist, got a taste of his own medicine when actor Ben Affleck called him out on his anti-Islamic comments. Affleck did not mince any words when he said generalizations Maher made about Islam behaving like cabal or mafia were gross and racist.
It is true that Maher’s words were generalizations of Islam that fan bigoted sentiments people have about the religion. Apparently, a bias against Islam is an issue that can cross party lines from the extreme left wing to the extreme right win.
That said, it was curious to see Maher get called a racist and Islamopobe as such disparaging remarks are usually reserved for Conservatives. However, Maher has apparently had enough of extremists beheading innocent reporters or killing other innocents in the name of Islam. Curiously, Affleck shared the same sentiments about Islam that former President George W. Bush, Sen. Rand Paul, and most notably David Haines, whose brother was beheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).
Muslim groups have been quick to denounce the recent beheadings. However, it should be noted that many of these same groups have been reluctant to denounce Muslim aggression in the past. While they’ve never supported the use of violence, their disapproval of violence is usually done in muted tones. This is especially the case when compared with the fervor with which they decry any remark they view as against Islam. Affleck believes that most Muslims are peaceful people and should be treated as such.