Reza Aslan

Reza Aslan is an Iranian-American author, academic, and television presenter known for his works on comparative religion and his public commentary on Islam and politics. He holds a PhD in the sociology of religion from the University of California, Santa Barbara and has taught at several institutions, including the University of California, Riverside and the University of Iowa. Aslan gained widespread public attention with his bestselling book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, which sparked significant debate, and he has hosted television series such as Believer on CNN.

Early life and education

Born in Tehran, Iran, his family left the country following the Iranian Revolution and settled in the United States, where he was raised in a nominally Shia household. He attended Santa Clara University, where he initially studied English literature before converting to Evangelical Christianity during his teenage years and later returning to a non-denominational Muslim identity. Aslan earned a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies from Santa Clara University, a Master of Fine Arts in fiction from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, and a PhD in the sociology of religion from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with his dissertation focusing on global jihad.

Career

His academic career includes positions as a professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside and an associate professor of journalism at the University of Southern California. He is a founding member and partner at Aslan Media Inc., a media and consulting firm, and has served on the board of the Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation. As a commentator, he has frequently appeared on networks like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, and he created and hosted the CNN series Believer, which explored diverse religious practices worldwide. He also co-founded the digital media company BOOM! Studios and has been a columnist for publications such as The Daily Beast.

Works

He is the author of several bestselling books on religion, beginning with No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, which examines the history of Islam and was published in numerous languages. His most famous work, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, presents a historical analysis of Jesus as a Jewish revolutionary and became a #1 New York Times bestseller. Other notable publications include How to Win a Cosmic War, an analysis of religious violence, and God: A Human History, which explores the human tendency to conceive of the divine in anthropomorphic terms. He also edited the anthology Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East.

Public image and controversies

He faced significant controversy following a 2013 interview on Fox News about Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, where host Lauren Green questioned his qualifications as a Muslim to write about Jesus, a moment widely criticized as Islamophobic. The cancellation of his series Believer by CNN after one season also drew attention, following complaints from the Hindu community about an episode featuring the Aghori sect. His public statements on Islam and politics, including critiques of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and commentary on groups like ISIS, have frequently placed him at the center of heated public and media debates.

Personal life

He married entrepreneur and Kiva co-founder Jessica Jackley in 2011, and the couple has three sons. He has been open about his personal religious journey, describing himself as a "humanist" who is culturally Muslim. An active voice on social media, particularly Twitter, he engages regularly on topics ranging from Iranian politics to religious pluralism in America.

Category:American religious scholars Category:21st-century American writers Category:Iranian emigrants to the United States