Reza aslan, fox news, and islamophobia peoples world. A human history of faith and religion the express tribune speaks exclusively to religious studies scholar reza aslan about the epic story of faith published. Aslans educational background includes a bachelor of arts in religious studies from santa clara university, a master of theological studies from harvard university, a ph. The ballad of songbirds and snakes from the author that brought you the hunger games, reenter the world of panem again sixtyfour years before the events of the original series. T here is a bit of a hubbub about an interview conducted by lauren green, religion correspondent for fox news channel, with reza aslan, author of a new book on jesus titled zealot. Reza aslan, a scholar of religions, shares why he believes we need more positive portrayals of muslims in pop culture. At the end of july fox news reporter lauren green interviewed him about his book zealot. Islamophobia in australia is a timely book that traces the rise of racism against muslims through an extensive analysis of critical events and issues. We discussed the difference between faith and religion, the reasons for his conversion from christianity to islam, and why hes been fascinated by. I suggested yesterday that maybe aslan took the highdudgeon approach because he didnt really want to talk about his book. Reza aslan on islamophobia fear of islam has spread among a growing number of people in the united states, even though that fear isnt grounded in reality, writer and religion scholar reza aslan said while visiting knox college. Whatever the prospects are for moving islam out of the middle ages, hope lies not with obscurantists like reza aslan but with reformers like maajid nawaz.
Islamophobia is a contemporary form of cultural racism against muslims. Mar, 2017 reza, long suspected of secretly undergoing hormone treatments, confirmed finally the rumors. Scapegoats is an important book that shows islamophobia must be. The origins, evolution, and future of islam aug 30, 2011. The only way to overcome religious violence is religious peacemaking.
Reza aslan thinks a muslim tv show will combat islamophobia campus watch blog. Reza aslan is an internationally renowned writer, commentator, professor, producer, and scholar of religions. My brother arsalan iftikhar is one of americas great champions of reason and respect. Reza aslan and how fox news islamophobia comes from the top. Oct 12, 2014 there was a window when reza aslan had my sympathy. Whether hes talking about the legacy of the arab spring or islamophobia, audiences listen. Apr 18, 2017 reza aslan, a scholar of religions, shares why he believes we need more positive portrayals of muslims in pop culture. Well researched and lucid, aslan takes us through the historical.
Reza aslan book is a readable defense of the schweitzerian theory of jesus so called because it was popularized by albert schweitzer in his quest for the historical jesus. In zealot, reza aslan replaced the staid, wellworn portrayal of jesus of. Confronting religious extremism in the age of globalization. Reza, long suspected of secretly undergoing hormone treatments, confirmed finally the rumors. He writes in his book that a time is coming when he will be denounced an apostate by a group of people.
A human history, the author of zealot follows up his book about jesus. Apr 10, 2017 unfortunately, selfdescribed religious scholar reza aslan never got the memo. The origins, evolution, and future of islam and zealot. Scapegoats is an important book that shows islamophobia must be addressed urgently. It has emerged in australia as an outcome of general public opposition to multiculturalism and migration as well as in response to international conflicts involving muslims. So why did you write a book about the founder of christianity. The author of this book reza aslan is an iranianamerican and a shia by persuasion. The book that changed reza aslans mind about jesus the atlantic.
That is not a criticism but a credit to reza s immense scholarship. A human history of faith and religion the express tribune. Quotations by reza aslan, iranian writer, born may 3, 1972. There was a window when reza aslan had my sympathy. The book that changed reza aslans mind about jesus the religious scholar from the viral fox news interview explains how dostoevskys the brothers karamazov taught him the difference between faith. San francisco chronicle aslan is not only a perspicuous, thoughtful interpreter of the muslim world but also a subtle psychologist of the call to jihad. However, racism may fuel islamophobia, as the narrow western perception of islam often associates the religion almost exclusively with the arab ethnicity and with middle eastern culture brown people in turbans.
Its time we face the fear reza was visibly choked up as a deafening silence swept over the audience. Although members of the terrorist group isis are technically muslim, argued religious scholar reza aslan in a speech at the university of toledo last week, that doesnt mean that islamophobia is. Reza aslans bachelors degree is in religious studies, with an emphasis on scripture and traditions which at santa clara university means the new testament. In his new book, aslan takes on a subject even more immense. The life and times of jesus of nazareth and of kings and prophets 2016. Well researched and lucid, aslan takes us through the historical roots and social contexts of australian islamophobia. Islamophobia in america with reza aslan reza aslan is an internationally renowned writer, commentator, professor, producer, and scholar of religions. When i was 16 years old, i read the book that has probably had the greatest influence on methe brothers karamazov by fyodor dostoevsky. The litmus test for intellectual honesty on this pointwhich so many liberals failis to admit that one can draw a straight line from specific doctrines in islam to the intolerance and. Jan, 2016 the only way to overcome religious violence is religious peacemaking. This is from a series of short films called the secret life of muslims. The book is both an indepth study of the ideology fueling alqaida, the taliban, and likeminded militants throughout the muslim world and an exploration of religious violence in judaism, christianity, and islam. Another group however, will also declare him and an apologist.
At a time when people are focusing on differences, i think reza is working to help people find their way back to each other. Aslan then listed off his academic credentials on the subject. Seeing ancient palestine as a hot bed of revolutionary activity, he finds the most plausible explanation of the historical jesus as one which sees jesus as revolutionary who was ultimately crucified for his antiroman views. Green, apparently unable to reconcile a muslim writing about jesus continued, it still begs the question though, why would you be. May 08, 2014 ayaan hirsi ali was born in mogadishu in 1969. On the outside, one can distinguish islamophobia and racism islam is a religion, not a race, and is commonly practiced among many ethnicities. If you read reza aslan s book zealot, do not expect this book to be the same or even the same style. Reza aslan perfectly explains what islamophobes are. The recent round of criticism of fox newss online interview of reza aslan has got me thinking a little more about this charge of islamophobia that you often hear leveled by those on the political left as in those who criticized any analysis of this episode that failed to out the fox network or other media personalities as stirring the embers of hatred among some segments of the u. Reza aslan and how fox news islamophobia comes from the.
Reza aslan misrepresents his scholarly credentials matthew. Reza aslan books author download ebooks pdf, mobi, epub. Trump is popular because of islamophobia apr 12, 2016 12. The contradictions of reza aslans believer the new yorker. In zealot, reza aslan replaced the staid, wellworn portrayal of jesus of nazareth with a startling new image of the man in all his contradictions. Reza aslan has 16 books on goodreads with 235969 ratings. But please do not confuse book sales with progress.
Reza aslan university lecture committee the university of. Reza aslan university lecture committee the university. Reza aslan at the miami book fair international 20 aslan refers to al qaedas jihad against the west as a cosmic war, distinct from holy war, in which rival religious groups are engaged in an earthly battle for material goals. In a july 20 interview for fox news website with author reza aslan, green asked, i want to be clear youre a muslim. Commonalities, contentions, and complexities, global. The daughter of a political opponent of the somali dictatorship, she lived in exile, moving from saudi arabia to ethiopia and then to kenya. Reza aslan mocks islamophobia at epl speaker series the.
Green launched the interview available here in full with a question about why a muslim should want to write. Reza aslan you think enemy country theres no question that homophobia is rampant among the worlds 1. The life and times of jesus of nazareth, no god but god. Aslans odd launch into historical jesus publishing made it inevitable that his selfidentification as a muslim would be part of the narrative. President jimmy carter when a murderous psychopath goes on a killing spree, law enforcement officials and the media never make his religion the central issue unless he happens to be a muslim. Oct 07, 2014 whatever the prospects are for moving islam out of the middle ages, hope lies not with obscurantists like reza aslan but with reformers like maajid nawaz. He has a master of theological studies degree from harvard university, in world religions, and a ph. Reza aslan, a typo, and the petty vindictiveness of robert spencer by ilisha on january 1, 2014 in feature, loon media, loon people spencer has devoted two articles to huffing and puffing about something spectacularly petty. Buzzfeeds andrew kaczynski posted a segment in which reza aslan. Free zealot is that rare pop culture phenomenona serious book on a serious topic that has been embraced by a wide readership. It pretty much ended there, with aslan contending that he was a scholar of religion and that his muslim faith, which he.
If you didn t manage to get tickets to reza aslan s speech at the chateau lacombe hotel last wednesday, then you missed what felt like a perfect cross between a university lecture and a standup comedy routine edmonton public library hosted aslan as part of their forward thinking speaker series, which will feature other public intellectuals like timothy beatley and sir salman rushdie. Our friend joe carter, over at getreligion, has the basic story. Reza aslan comes out as transgender muslim cnn celebrity. Like 98 percent of somali girls, ayaan was subjected to female genital mutilation.
Literary landscapes from the modern middle east, muslims and jews in america. The life and times of jesus of nazareth, have been translated into dozens of languages around the world. Outrage over muslim author reza aslans biography on jesus, zealot, shifts islamophobia debate the scholar on religion who turned the tables on a conservative talk show last week wants to. He however says that, the latter does not bother him a bit. Unfortunately, selfdescribed religious scholar reza aslan never got the memo. The islamophobia industry has since been discussed by other scholars including joseph kaminski, hatem bazian, arlene stein, zakia salime, reza aslan, erdoan a. Reza aslan was sacked by cnn for insulting the president. Confronting religious extremism in the age of globalization, zealot. Apr 08, 2019 it was an interesting conversation with reza aslan.
His book is a stirring addition to the literature of american pluralism. Reza aslan misrepresents his scholarly credentials. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. Islamophobia in america with reza aslan wisconsin union. Reza aslans book is an educated amateurs summary and synthesis of a particularly skeptical but quite longestablished line of new testament scholarship, presented to us as simple fact. Reza aslan is currently considered a single author. At a time when religion and politics increasingly share the same vocabulary and function in the same sphere, aslan writes that we. Scapegoats book by arsalan iftikhar, reza aslan official. Shipoli, and deepa kumar, the latter drawing a comparison between the islamophobia industry and cold war era mccarthyism. It was an interesting conversation with reza aslan. Greens opinion seemed to be that as a muslim, aslan had no right to write a book about jesus and the whole thing was some kind of antichristian plot. Cnns reza aslan thinks orthodox jews are just like radical. The origins, evolution, and future of islam, beyond fundamentalism.
Trump is popular because of islamophobia apr 9, 2016 1. You may know aslan as a fringe muslim commentator on cnn known for his fauxoutrage at even the slightest of socalled islamophobia. Alice aslan s book is a model of this kind of intervention in highly charged public debates. In addition to speaking on the history of the man we know as jesus, reza aslan speaks for a young generation of muslimssocially conscious, politically active, and technologically savvywho fight for democratic reform. There is a bigger phobia we need to confront in america than the made up lie of islamophobia said aslan. As publishers weekly says, zealot is compulsively readable and written at a popular level. Goda human history takes on a topic of massive scope and brings information together from many different disciplines and puts it in a readable format. Reza aslan dissects a complex subject terrorism and globalization and distills it with a mix of narrative writing, personal anecdotes, reportage and historical analysis. He is a producer and actor, known for rendition 2007, zealot. She embraced islam while she was growing up, but continued. This book is a must for anyone, especially the nonmuslims, to have an overview of the the root cause and factors that lead to the rising phenomenom of islamophobia in the west, because the subjective notion of islamphobia in the world is increasing by the day due to ignorance which leads to baseless fears of the people who belong to the muslim.
125 1105 997 959 1078 1190 570 735 275 151 955 853 845 156 162 43 113 307 35 486 687 122 91 331 1013 1224 713 1133 662 258 1451 953 1279 145 1406 1070 162 593 868 1484 800 918 898 1421 726 1347