Caller is an fool.

How come when we talk about Islamic extremism we aways have to talk about western imperialism and involvement in the middle east, but when we talk about western imperialism we don't talk about Islamic extremism? This is not about holding the west to responsibility it is about strong cognitive denial of the existence of the jihadi fascist movement.

MB is right. I was just reading over the polling results on that study from April 2013. Every section either has a heading that stipulates that the results are among those who believe in Sharia law as the law of the land, or it directly states it within the subheadings of the columns in the data tables. The sample size that I saw at the summary of the study was 38,000, which though reasonably big, makes me skeptical about whether or not that's really representative of the world's entire Muslim population (1.3 billion). =\

How does your entire staff not understand the topic of discussion?

You guys are strawmanning the shit out of New Atheists and, specifically, Sam Harris. Do more research. Look at your Likes/Dislikes counts - you guys are making mistakes and your viewers are trying to tell you. Do more research. Have Harris on your show. Hash this out, because so far you guys are assessing, judging, and criticizing a nonexistent person.

When looking at New Atheism, I find that I have mixed views. Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens.. these are important figures to mainstream opinion of secularism and have all greatly improved the public's thoughts on atheists. I've always had a problem with Islam being criticized unreasonably harsh in Harris' works to the point of avoiding that faith's commentary... but, I feel that there's too much to lose if we expect that this gulf being build between us and Harris. I can only think of to ask people to do the less human and more rational thing: to neither reject New Atheism or condone it's Islamophobic side.

seriously couldn't get past the bickering and over talk just between the hosts. waste of time.

Please invite Sam Harris on the show. It's infuriating to see you two totally misrepresent his point of view and then beat up on it. American liberalism is so cult like when it comes to Islam, they're so afraid of being grouped in with the bigoted anti-Muslim "lets bomb the middle east" crowd that they have adopted this unwavering protective attitude over Islam as if they're talking about minorities. Any criticism of Islam is immediately dismissed as "broad-brushing" and bigotry.

The most interesting aspect about this topic on Majority Report (if you ask me) is that it kind of shows... how similar we all are. How small we kind of think. Although, maybe that is too much, given that I am coming from the similar mindset of Michael in this, but to see this topic splinter liberal thought is interesting. (I don't know, maybe this isn't coming out how I want to explain it, I don't want to make this out to be a majority, it just seems a lot like sometimes we talk like we have everything rational and together, and to have ideal conflicts like this show that we don't, and can be just as much a follower as a person who thinks global warming doesn't exist or blindly submit to partisan ideas)

I subscribed to Sam Seder, not Matt and Michael.

MajorityReportLIVE Invite Same Harris on the show.

"interviews conducted in five southern provinces only" that was only in Thailand! Read the whole thing before shooting your ignorant mouth off and trying to fudge the facts that are right in front of you. You are so intransigent when people don't agree with your views, you can't even see the truth. You are completely misreading the poll, both questions and results. Also, it is you guys who are putting words in Sam Harris' mouth claiming he is painting all muslims with the same brush. He does no such thing! He is against the pernicious ideas of the Qu'ran, (and bible and anywhere else such harmful ideas exist) not all muslims individually.

As someone who has been active in Progressive politics going on ten years, I think Michael has really discredited himself on this issue. While it's true that the Koch Bros and their hedge fund billionaire allies have done near-irreparable damage to the integrity of our political process, we cannot ignore the damage that having an uninformed.misinformed electorate can have on our body politic. We simply cannot ignore the elephant in the room that is the willful stupidity of at least a third of our voting block. The same 25-30% who voted against FDR back in the 1930s are the same 25-30% who stuck with the GOP till the bitter end in our time. The biggest problem with our Progressive movement however is one that only developed in the last twenty years; That is, half of our movement wants to stick it's head in the sand and avoid offending anyone, thereby assuring that pluralism and tolerance are killed from within all the while deriding the other half of the Progressive movement that won't join them as closeted bigots or intolerant. Islamic Fundamentalism is every bit as much a long-term threat to skepticism, the Enlightenment, and the ideals of Progressivism as the modern American Right.

why do atheists have to talk about religion all the time? I'll tell you why. because at least in this country, usa, it happens to affect my damn life as it is reflected in policy. that's why. if it didn't we wouldn't give a crap.

I love majority report, and this is a comment for everyone in broadcasting.. yall need to let people finish their sentences

You and Affleck strawmanned Harris's argument. He was saying that liberals won't criticize Islamic ideas like we'll criticize Christian or even Jewish ideas--and Affleck and the response from people like Michael have actually proven Harris is right. That other religions have equally crazy ideas doesn't mean we shouldn't be able to criticize the bad ideas of specific religions.

Matt, Michael, can't you fucking let the caller make his point first before jumping on him? This is like watching Fox News: You jump on a person before he gets make his point, ask question on the point you jumped on which is beside the point he was trying to make, don't let them provide any answer other than yes or no, demand an answer, keep talking all over the guy about your own (talking) points and don't let him talk. Why bother taking calls if you don't let the callers talk? I don't think the caller was expecting a debate but a conversation and even then if the other side gets to talk for over 90% of the time, what's the point?

Regarding the causes of our lack of action on climate change, of course the money talks, but this is far from an either/or question. The credulity of the electorate is as necessary a tool for those who buy our politicians as the money they use to buy them. Therefore, undercutting the knee-jerk deference given to religion almost everywhere (Christianity, Islam and others) is far from a useless endeavor, and why more honest engagement of Sam Harris' actual arguments would be a welcome development. We would be wise to remember Seneca's thoughts on the intersection of religion and politics, most poignantly, the last part: "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as USEFUL." - Seneca (ca. 4 BC -AD 65) [emphasis mine] [And, yes, I'm aware that the attribution of this quote to Seneca is a matter of some uncertainty.]

The point about the economic system seems to fly over these peoples heads. There are economic forces which benefit from uneducated and superstitious populaces. Religion in itself (however much I might find certain religious teachings backwards and stupid) is not the core problem of todays world.

I'm totally fan-girling over Michael's well informed intellect providing a TKO to a Sam Harris fanboy-it's sad the way these guys-intelligent, educated & normally logical thinkers are putting the blinders on and wallowing around in deliberate ignorance to keep their new atheist heroes on their pedestals-it's hard when someone you believe in fucks up-I'm still mourning the Barack Obama I adored in 2008 but I'm not blinded by the reality that far from being a true progressive he's much closer to center right on important issues-it happens but what's sad is that these New Atheist fanboys are doing the same thing that they deride and mock evangelicals for-they have deified Harris, Dawkins etc. and bristle at information that contradicts what their "Great One" has proclaimed-when it comes to their new Gods of Atheism they are more then willing to stay ignorant-I'm not a fan of any organized religion for many reasons-I've enjoyed a lot of what men like Hitchens and Harris have said and I'm saddened when they use their atheism as an excuse for their Islamophobia-

You people nailed it. We would see genocide everyday if any of the fictions that are being touted around were true. Just a single example. Bad as the Prophet cartoon violence was, there were also examples of peaceful demonstrations where tens of thousands of Muslims attended and there was no violence. In fact, the violence happened in exactly the places where violence always happens, in places of extremism. It was not universal among Muslims.

Just what exactly are "new athiests"?! The fact your bringing their (Maher/Harris) personal, religious beliefs into the debate makes me think this is about a couple of theists (you) bashing a couple of athiest because they exposed the problems with religion (in general)..

Calmly bigoted caller, I hope he woke up

Hi. Here from the future. MB ended up being totally right

Learn about Indonesia and Malaysia before throwing their problems under the bus! In both Malaysia and Indonesia FGM is very prevalent, and both have repressive Islamic law regimes to various extents depending on where you are. The "five southern provinces" are probably the more liberal ones in comparison to the northern province of Aech which is under full-on sharia (whipping, amputations, death ect for the normal "crimes" of adultery, blasphemy ect.). This is not the only problems facing people in these countries, and yes they are more "moderate" than say Saudi, but would you really say this is a good thing if it was a white Christian country? So long as this is the main talking point from the so-called left, the right will eat this issue up and then we will see REAL muslim persecution.

"Do you think that our lack of response to climate change has more to do with people saying in polls that they don't accept evolution or the fact that our system is completely locked by petro and fossil fuel money that will not allow needed reforms?" The two are inextricably linked. The caller is absolutely right. The hosts are completely blind.

We're NOT "trying to figure out what's going on" in those Muslim places, why do you keep saying that? That's not the goal of what people like Maher and Harris were criticizing Islam. No one is saying history, culture, whatever else is influencing Islamic countries. YOU are trying to say Islam has NOTHING to do with it??

I find it practically unbearable to listen to you guys take phone calls. I don't think I've *ever* heard you allow a caller to finish a complete thought without rudely interrupting.

Wow! You guys sounds like creationists with your fallacious argumentation. LOL

Michael Brooks. You're the brains of this operation. I'm disappointed that you don't really have a clue what Sam Harris is even talking about.

The caller is correct about the knowledge of the electorate. If people held the correct beliefs things could be changed regardless of how much money big business tries to throw around.

Matt and Michael - you still just do not get it. You don't understand that criticizing Islam does not mean you hate Muslims or support war. You keep bringing in these other things, that's not what we're talking about. We're not saying "look at what Muslims do, it's because of the Quran." We're saying the Quran is horrible and we should rightfully criticize it.

Michael, YOU are the one with the overly simplistic view regarding Harris. While I don't agree with Harris on a number of points, you are straw manning him badly. You just refuse to truly understand the position and continue to be a hypocrite.