Experts
Reza Aslan
Professor of Islamic Studies, UC Riverside
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Is there a clash of civilizations?
Aslan challenges the West and Muslims to define this clash so that we can see that we are not all that different. Read More
January 28, 2008 | In Belief
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The West should leave the Muslims alone and allow them to create their own societies, of which they are perfectly capable. Read More
January 28, 2008 | In Belief
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Religion is, first and foremost, a social phenomenon. Read More
January 28, 2008 | In Belief
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Religion is a part of the world, and there are many misconceptions that exist between the Muslim and Western worlds. Read More
January 28, 2008 | In Belief
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Islam accepts all other religions, and sees, for example, the Bible, the Torah, and the Koran as all being part of one huge book. Read More
January 28, 2008 | In Belief
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The Iranian Revolution of 1979, Viewed from Los Angeles
In Iran everyone united for the common good of getting rid of the Shah. In America two groups were formed, the rich conservatives and the middle class leftists. Read More
January 28, 2008 | In History, Politics & Policy
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Learning about America from other Iranians in Northern California was better than learning it from sitcoms in Oklahoma. Read More
January 28, 2008 | In History, Politics & Policy
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Reza Aslan asks, "what is it that you think your civilization is that makes it so different from the civilization of the other?" Read More
January 28, 2008 | In Belief, Inspiration & Wisdom
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Reza Aslan's Advice to Young Muslims
Reza Aslan says do not be afraid of the changes taking place in the world around you. Read More
January 28, 2008 | In Belief, Inspiration & Wisdom
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"I think Muslims, particularly young Muslims in the Middle East, are growing more and more comfortable in defining themselves in nationalistic terms." Read More
January 28, 2008 | In Belief, Future, Politics & Policy
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"It is very important to understand that religion is an ever-malleable thing." Read More
January 28, 2008 | In Belief
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"The way that Reza Aslan looks at it is that religion is part of the world." Read More
January 28, 2008 | In Belief
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Reza Aslan is inspired by a calling. Read More
January 28, 2008 | In Belief, Inspiration & Wisdom
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Aslan describes himself as a bridge between Islam and the West. Read More
January 28, 2008 | In Belief, Politics & Policy
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"I'd like to think of myself in some ways as a public intellectual." Read More
January 28, 2008 | In Belief, Politics & Policy
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A scholar of religions, and writer. Read More
January 28, 2008 | In Arts & Culture, Belief, Politics & Policy
Dr. Reza Aslan, an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions, is a columnist at the Daily Beast. Reza Aslan has degrees in Religions from Santa Clara University, Harvard University, and the University of California, Santa Barbara, as well as a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa, where he was named the Truman Capote Fellow in Fiction. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities, and the Pacific Council on International Policy. He serves on the board of directors for both the Ploughshares Fund, which gives grants for peace and security issues, Abraham's Vision, an interfaith peace organization, and PEN USA.
Aslan's first book is the New York Times Bestseller, No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, which has been translated into thirteen languages, short-listed for the Guardian First Book Award in the UK, and nominated for a PEN USA award for research Non-Fiction. His most recent book is How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror, followed by an edited anthology, Words Without Borders: Writings from the Middle East, which we will be published by Norton in 2010. Aslan is Cofounder and Chief Creative Officer of BoomGen Studios, a hub for creative content from and about the Middle East, as well as Editorial Executive of Mecca.com. Born in Iran, he now lives in Los Angeles where he is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside.
