Fox TV host Bill O'Reilly has weighed in on Ben Affleck's recent comments about Islam, made during a heated debate on Real Time With Bill Maher, and has some harsh words for the actor.
The Maher episode aired on Friday, amid a U.S.-led air assault on ISIS (Islamic State) targets in Iraq and Syria, where the group's militants have for months been taking over territories and executing people they deem non-believers, including four Westerners.
"The truth is many Muslim nations have not confronted Islamic terrorism, have not attacked violence in the name of Allah, and have not even condemned the jihad. There is exception to the rule but they are few. Therefore, militant Islam continues to drive worldwide terrorism and have plenty of sanctuaries from which to commit their evil," O'Reilly said on his Fox News show The O'Reilly Factor on Monday.
"Ben Affleck should well understand that he himself would be beheaded in a heartbeat by these ISIS animals and that even though they are the most extreme element of the jihad they are not that far away from their fanatical cousins," the host added about the group, an offshoot of al Qaeda.
Affleck has not responded to O'Reilly's comments.
The actor appeared on Real Time With Bill Maher while promoting the new crime thriller Gone Girl and had responded angrily to arguments about radical Islam by host Bill Maher and guest panelist Sam Harris. The actor accused the latter of "condemning" all Muslims, which he denied, and saying such attitudes are "gross" and "racist."
Maher later said they are "not bigoted" but were rather trying to "stand up for the true principles of liberalism."
O'Reilly called Maher and Affleck "uber liberals," citing the actor's support of President Barack Obama and of past left-wing causes. Public records show that in 2007, Affleck donated at least $4,500 to Obama's first presidential election campaign.
The actor had talked about his political views in an interview on The O'Reilly Factor in 2004.
"I would say I'm a moderately liberal guy," he said. "I mean, there are things that I agree with the Democratic Party. There are things I don't. For example, I'm not a big gun control guy. I believe in all the Bill of Rights, including the Second Amendment. I'm not a party guy, one way or another. I don't believe in subscribing to that. I still believe in people more than I believe in parties per se."
Affleck won an Oscar for directing the 2012 terrorism-themed film Argo, which was about the 1979 hostage crisis in Iran. The actor appeared on The O'Reilly Factor that year to promote the movie and talked about his political views again, saying, "I like Obama, on the major issues, I think Obama's done a good job, I'm going to vote for him."
He said he approved of Obama's tax reforms and stimulus plans, saying, "I don't spend so much that I can't afford to pay a little bit more in taxes."
That interview aired amid growing international concerns over Iran's nuclear program. Affleck told O'Reilly at the time that he would "not oppose military action" to be taken against the Islamic nation to stop the program, adding, "But the question is, where the line is, and I certainly wouldn't make the line public and I wouldn't be backed into the line."