In the Bill Maher and Ben Affleck debate on Islam, Bill Maher wins. Maher is a lonely liberal in his stance that Islam is an inherently violent religion, because for some reason which remains unknown, liberals have decided that it is not o.k. to criticize Islam or the ideas the religion espouses. Liberals have decided that Islam must be defended above the rights of women, gays and atheists, who are all subject to abuse and even being put to death by the people who believe in the tenants of Islam.
The original debate happened during an episode of Real Time With Bill Maher. Ben Affleck was a panel guest, and he appeared to be deeply offended when fellow panel guest Sam Harris said Islam is comprised of a lot of really bad ideas: “Liberals have failed on the topic of theocracy. They’ll criticize white theocracy… but when you want to talk about the treatment of women, homosexuals and freethinkers…I would argue that liberals have failed us…every criticism of the doctrine of Islam gets conflated with bigotry toward Muslims as people…we have to be able to criticize bad ideas,” he said.
Affleck then called that statement “gross” and “racist,” however, Affleck is misguided. Perhaps the most amusing part about Affleck’s stance is that he represents the epitome of white male privilege in the United States. It is easy for Affleck to judge criticism of Islam as being “racist” or “gross” when he never has to worry about being affected by Islam. That is, unless he himself speaks out against it, and then he could be beheaded; or as Maher points out: “they’ll f****** kill you if you say the wrong thing!” Affleck ought to ask one of the thousands of Muslim women who have had acid thrown in their faces for wearing makeup or looking in the wrong direction whether any criticism of Islam is only “a racist viewpoint.” He ought to ask the women buried up to their necks about to be stoned because they were raped whether negative commentary on Islam is nothing more than a set of “sweeping generalizations.”
The fact is, there is plenty of research to support Maher’s view that Islam is an inherently violent religion, and that even so-called “moderate” Muslims denigrate women and gays. Maher pointed out that an overwhelming majority of Egyptians believe that death is the appropriate response to someone leaving Islam for another religion or for atheism. Since Affleck asked for more proof of Maher’s stance, let us forget about the actual Koran for a moment (though the book clearly states that people who do not believe in Islam should be beheaded), and delve into the modern scientific data a little bit further.
As this 2013 PEW study clearly shows, the majority of Muslims, especially in countries where Islam is the primary religion, support Sharia law and the violence for which it calls. Liberals talk constantly about “extremist” Muslims being the “bad apples,” but what these liberals fail to understand is that Sharia law itself is extreme. Since the vast majority of Muslims support this type of law, the vast majority of Muslims believe in extremist views. One does not have to look to ISIS to find widespread, dangerous extremism in Islam.
Perhaps some of the liberals like Ben Affleck who constantly defend Muslims ought to become familiarized with Sharia law. Let us look at some of the highlights according to Islammonitor.org:
Leaving Islam is punishable by death.
Homosexuality is punishable by death.
A Muslim woman must cover every inch of her body which is considered “Awrah,” a sexual organ.
The marriage contract can take place anytime after birth and consummated at age 8 or 9.
Rebelliousness on the part of the wife nullifies the husband’s obligation to support her, gives him permission to beat her and keep her from leaving the home.
A Muslim man is forgiven if he kills his wife caught in the act of adultery. However, the opposite is not true for women since he “could be married to the woman he was caught with.”
These are but just a few of the extreme rules and laws of basic Sharia. This is the Sharia law in which “moderate” Muslims believe. It is unclear if Affleck is aware of these laws or if he is aware of them but thinks that they are acceptable. The most likely scenario is that since he is neither a woman nor a homosexual, he simply does not care what happens to women and homosexuals under Sharia law.
In the debate with Ben Affleck over Islam, Bill Maher clearly wins. It is easy to prove that Sharia law is extreme, and there are verses in the Koran that support all of its tenants. It is highly likely, though, that the liberals who support Islam against any criticism have never read the Koran, nor do they intend to. Affleck clearly has not, either. When it comes to white men in the U.S., dismissing criticism of Islam is all too easy, but it is a religion that deserves unending criticism. Unfortunately, when it comes to the rights of women and gays, it appears liberals in the U.S. are still in the stone ages if the word “Islam” is attached to the discussion.
By: Madison Cheyenne