As debate rages on across social media following Ben Affleck's angry exchange with TV host Bill Maher over Islam, Maher has defended his position and argued it has won over a new audience.

The pair clashed angrily on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher show on Friday, after Maher's sweeping statements about an entire religion, with Affleck calling comments "gross and racist" and "broad brush".

In response to the outrage ongoing since Friday, Maher told Salon.com: "We're liberals."

"We're not bigoted people. On the contrary, we're trying to stand up for the principles of liberalism. And so, you know, I think we're just saying we need to identify illiberalism wherever we find it in the world, and not forgive it because it comes from [a group] people perceive as a minority."