Ben Affleck Sam Harris Bill Maher Islamophobia debate
by Pavellim: Ben Affleck
Start with the part everyone skips: Ben Affleck asking Sam Harris whether he's actually studied the codified doctrine of Islam, whether he speaks as its interpreter. Harris says he knows the subject well enough. Affleck presses him on the claim that Islamophobia isn't real, and Harris is blunt about it, saying the term doesn't exist for him, while conceding some people do hold prejudice toward Muslims as people. Affleck's response drips: how generous. Bill Maher then reaches for the comparison of dismissing Islamophobia with the old line about «these rootless, cunning Jews». Affleck tells them they aren't hearing him. What he's arguing for is liberal principles as he understands them, free speech among them, plus the founding idea that rights are inalienable and people are created equal. Harris says society still needs room to criticize bad ideas. Affleck agrees no liberal is against that. Then Harris adds that Islam right now amounts to a collection of bad ideas, and Affleck calls the remark disgusting apostasy. The whole thing opened with the assertion that Islam holds many negative concepts. Affleck wouldn't let that stand, and went after Harris's authority to say it at all.
Transcript (en)
Are you the person who understands the officially codified doctrine of Islam? You're the interpreter of that so you can say, well this is... I'm actually well educated on this topic. I'm asking you. So you're saying if I criticize, you're saying that Islamophobia is not a real thing. That if you're critical of something... Well it's not a real thing when we do it. Right. It really isn't. I'm not denying that certain people are bigoted against Muslims as people. Right. And that's a problem. That's big of you. But the... But why are you so hostile about this comment? Because it's gross, it's racist. It's not, but it's so nuts. It's like saying those stateless shifty Jews. You're not listening to what we are saying. You guys are saying, if you want to be liberals, believe in liberal principles, like freedom of speech, like, you know, we are endowed by our forefathers with an inalienable abstract, all men are created equal. Ben, we have to be able to criticize bad ideas. Of course we do. No liberal doesn't want you to criticize bad ideas. But Islam at this moment is the motherlode of bad ideas. Jesus Christ. So we have ideas like blasphemy. It's not a truth. It is an ugly thing. Apostasy. One basic liberal principle is tolerance. Let me unpack it a little bit. But not for intolerance. No, of course not.
