The everyday face of Islam in Ireland

The rise of ISIS has been uncomfortable for Muslims in Ireland. Ellie O’Byrne met up with some including a 16 year old who can’t chat to friends about his early years in Iraq and Syria

In October, actor and director Ben Affleck appeared on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher to promote his new film, Gone Girl, and inadvertently got caught up in an angry defence of Islam and Muslim people against Maher and Sam Harris, a neuroscientist, author and anti-religionist.

“Islam is the mother lode of bad ideas,” Harris said, causing Affleck to throw his hands up in disbelief. “It’s gross, it’s racist,” Affleck responded. “How about the more than a billion people who aren’t fanatical?” Footage of the exchange went viral, with nearly 1,500,000 views on youtube and countless shares on social media.