Ben Affleck passionately defended those who practiced Islam in a heated round table discussion with Bill Maher.Oscar-winning director Affleck also clashed with author and guest Sam Harris who declared that the Muslim faith was the "mother load of bad ideas."

Ben Affleck Was Appalled By The Comments Of Bill Maher and Sam Harris

Affleck, Maher and Harris appeared on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher while debating whether the majority of the Muslim population share the beliefs of jihadists. Harris, who was promoting his book "Waking Up", claimed Liberals were afraid to criticize Islam.

"Liberals have failed on the topic of theocracy. They'll criticize white theocracy, they'll criticize Christianity. They still get agitated over the abortion clinic bombing that happened in 1984," Harris said. "The crucial point of confusion is we have been sold this meme of Islamaphobia - where every criticism of the doctrine of Islam is conflated with bigotry towards Muslims as people. Which is intellectually ridiculous."

Affleck pointedly responds by saying: "Are you the person who understands the officially codified doctrine of Islam?" Harris then retorts back: "I am actually well-educated in this subject," before Affleck says: "You are saying that Islamaphobia is not a real thing?"

Maher then says: "That's not what we are saying," before Harris adds: "We have to be able to criticize bad ideas and Islam is the motherload of bad ideas."

The Argo star is seen leaning back in his chair in disgust and replies: "It's an ugly thing to say."

Ben Affleck Did Not Back Down

Ben Affleck continued to argue that Islam is followed by more that a billion people worldwide and most just wanted to "pray five times a day."

“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,” the actor who is engaged to Jennifer Lopez asked.

Maher responded by saying: "A billion people you say, all these people don't hold these pernicious beliefs. That's just not true Ben, that's just not true. You say its down to these few bad apples, but the idea that someone should be killed if they leave the Islamic religion is just a few bad apples..."

Affleck then replies: "The people who actually believe that you should murder someone if you dishonor the Islamic faith is not with the majority of Muslims at all."

But Harris argued that Islam contained three points of views: The Jihadist, The Islamist and the Conservative Muslim.

"At the center of the circle you have jihadists who wake up in the morning wanting to kill apostates, wanting to die trying, they believe in paradise, they believe in martyrdom. Outside of this you have Islamists," Harris explained. "People who are just convinced of matryrdom and paradise and wanting to force their religion on the rest of humanity."

"But they want to work with in the system and they are not willing to blow themselves up on a bus. They want to change governments, they want to use democracy against itself. Those two circles are arguably 20 per cent of the Muslim world. Based on a bunch of polls that we can talk about."

"But outside of that we have conservative Muslims who say that ISIS does not represent us, that we are horrified by that. But they hold views about human rights and about women and about homosexuals are deeply troubling.

These are not Islamists, these are not jihadists."

Bill Maher Had Some Strong Opinions

Journalist Nicholas Kristof, who was also on the panel, argued that Maher was painting an "incomplete" picture of the religion by failing to mention activist Malala Yousafzai.

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Maher responds to this by saying: "One reason they (other views) don't get exposed is because they are afraid to speak out. Because it's the only religion that acts like the Mafia. That will f***ing kill if you say the wrong thing, draw the wrong picture or write the wrong book."

Seeking an explanation, Affleck then asks the panelists: 'What is you answer? Is it just to condemn Islam? We've killed more Muslims than they have killed us by an awful lot.

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"Yet somehow we are exempt from these things. Because they are not really a reflection of what we believe in," the 49-year old Oscar winner told Maher.

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