Reza Aslan Eats Human Brain on CNN's "Believer with Reza Aslan"

Reza Aslan, a professor of creative writing who masquerades as a scholar of world religions, recently ate a portion of a human brain on his CNN program "Believer with Reza Aslan." As part of his interactions with the cannibal Aghori sect of Hinduism, Aslan had his face powdered with cremated human remains and drank alcohol from a human skull before consuming the human brain.

Fact-Checking Reza Aslan 1: "Love Your Neighbor as Yourself"

In his book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, creative writing professor Reza Aslan claims that the Jewish command to "Love your neighbor as yourself" only applied to one's fellow Jews, and that Jews were ordered to expel foreigners from the land of Israel. Aslan writes:

When it came to the heart and soul of the Jewish faith—the Law of Moses—Jesus was adamant that his mission was not to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). That law made a clear distinction between relations among Jews and relations between Jews and foreigners. The oft-repeated commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself" was not Jesus’s invention. It comes directly from the Torah and is meant to be applied strictly in the context of internal relations within Israel. The verse in question reads: "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). To the Israelites, as well as to Jesus's community in first-century Palestine, "neighbor" meant one’s fellow Jews, whether friend or foe. With regard to the treatment of foreigners and outsiders, oppressors and occupiers, however, the Torah could not be clearer: "You shall drive them out before you. You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. They shall not live in your land" (Exodus 23:31-33).

But what happens when we go to the chapters Reza quotes and find them saying the exact opposite of what he claims?

Muslim Professor Reza Aslan Helps Christians Prove the Resurrection of Jesus

In his book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, Muslim professor Reza Aslan tries to convince his readers that Jesus was a violent revolutionary, who wanted to slaughter the Roman occupiers of Israel.

While his attempts to portray Jesus as a jihadist fall dreadfully short, Aslan admits some interesting facts about Jesus and his followers—namely, that Jesus was crucified, that his disciples were convinced that he had risen from the dead, that his disciples went to their bloody deaths proclaiming Jesus' resurrection, and that belief in Jesus' resurrection can be traced back to the earliest stages of the church.

Since these are the facts that are usually in dispute between Christians and Muslims, we should thank Reza for helping us build our case for the resurrection of Jesus.

For more on Reza Aslan, see:

"Reza Aslan Admits That the Qur'an Is Wrong about Jesus"
"Reza Aslan Caught Lying about Age of Aisha"
"Reza Aslan: Twisting Scriptures for the Sake of Allah"
"Reza Aslan Caught Lying about Jesus, Judaism, and the Old Testament"
"Reza Aslan: Whitewashing Jihad"
"Reza Aslan and the Deity of Jesus"
"Reza Aslan's Jihad Jesus"
"Reza Aslan and the Resurrection of Jesus"
"Reza Aslan Spoofs Nativity Scene to Sell Copies of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth"
"Reza Aslan's Historical Method"
"William Lane Craig vs. Reza Aslan on the Historical Jesus"

Reza Aslan Admits That the Qur'an Is Wrong about Jesus

According to the Qur'an, Jesus was neither killed nor crucified (Qur'an 4:157-158). Instead, Allah raised Jesus to heaven while he was still alive.

Yet Muslim scholar Reza Aslan admits that the Qur'an is wrong, for Jesus "was most definitely crucified." Since Aslan has rejected the inspiration and authority of Islam's central text, we can only wonder why he calls himself a Muslim (and why Muslims aren't calling him out as an apostate).

Regardless, it's nice to know that when we discuss the crucifixion of Jesus with our Muslim friends, we can appeal to Reza Aslan as a scholarly Muslim authority on the historical fact of Jesus' death on the cross.

For more on Reza Aslan, see:

"Reza Aslan Caught Lying about Age of Aisha"
"Reza Aslan: Twisting Scriptures for the Sake of Allah"
"Reza Aslan Caught Lying about Jesus, Judaism, and the Old Testament"
"Reza Aslan: Whitewashing Jihad"
"Reza Aslan and the Deity of Jesus"
"Reza Aslan's Jihad Jesus"
"Reza Aslan and the Resurrection of Jesus"
"Reza Aslan Spoofs Nativity Scene to Sell Copies of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth"
"Reza Aslan's Historical Method"
"William Lane Craig vs. Reza Aslan on the Historical Jesus"

Reza Aslan: Twisting Christian Scriptures for the Sake of Allah

Creative Writing Professor Reza Aslan

Reza Aslan is an associate professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside. He claims (endlessly) to be a scholar of religions. However, his writings show that he is doing what nearly all Muslim apologists in the West do: he is trying to make Muhammad sound more like Jesus, and Jesus sound more like Muhammad, in an effort to make Islam more palatable to Americans and Europeans.

In his book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, Aslan argues that Jesus was a violent jihadist, who wanted to mercilessly kill the Roman occupiers of Israel. Faced with clear commands of Jesus to love our neighbors (Mark 12:28-31), to love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48), to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), and not to defend Christianity through violence (Matthew 26:52), Aslan is forced to radically reinterpret or dismiss Jesus' words.

The following video shows Aslan at his best (or worst!), twisting Jesus' calls for peace into a call for the annihilation of non-Jews.

Reza Aslan Caught Lying about Jesus, Judaism, and the Old Testament

Reza Aslan

According to Reza Aslan's book Zealot, Jesus was a violent jihadist who wanted to destroy the Roman occupiers of Israel. Jesus is remembered as a man of peace only because his revolution failed, and later followers corrupted his message.

How does Reza explain Jesus saying things like "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (words that even Reza admits were spoken by Jesus)?

According to Reza, such teachings only applied to one's fellow Jews, not to foreigners. Reza claims that Jesus believed that foreigners had to be killed, in accordance with God's commands in the Old Testament.

But what happens when we read what the Old Testament actually says about foreigners in the land of Israel? Reza is once again caught deceiving his gullible readers, in a desperate attempt to make Jesus sound more like Muhammad.

Reza Aslan Caught Lying about Age of Aisha

In No God but God, Reza Aslan assures his readers that Aisha was merely betrothed to Muhammad when she was nine years old, but that no sex took place until after she had reached puberty.

Islam's most trusted sources, of course, tell a completely different story. For instance, here's a brief sample of narrations from Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and Sunan Abu Dawud (Islam's three most respected hadith collections).

Sahih al-Bukhari 5158—Narrated Urwa: The Prophet wrote the (marriage contract) with Aisha while she was six years old and consummated his marriage with her while she was nine years old and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. till his death).

Sahih Muslim 3311—Aisha reported that Allah’s Apostle married her when she was seven years old, and she was taken to his house as a bride when she was nine, and her dolls were with her; and when he (the Holy Prophet) died she was eighteen years old.

Sunan Abu Dawud 2116—Aishah said: The Apostle of Allah married me when I was seven years old. (The narrator Sulaiman said: Or six years.) He had intercourse with me when I was nine years old.

Reza Aslan

(For a much more thorough collection of narrations, see Sam Shamoun's article here.)

Usually, when I hear a Muslim say that Aisha was older than nine when Muhammad had sex with her, I assume that the Muslim is simply ignorant of his sources (i.e., that the Muslim isn't trying to deceive anyone; he's merely ill-informed). Reza, however, claims to be an "internationally acclaimed scholar of religions" (even though he's an associate professor of creative writing). In carefully examining Islam's sources as research for his book, surely he must have come across dozens of narrations reporting Aisha's sexual relationship with Muhammad when she was only nine years old. The fact that Reza contradicts the unanimous testimony of his sources can mean only one thing: Reza is lying to his readers in an effort to make Muhammad seem better than he actually was.

Here's a recent discussion of Reza's claim (on ABN's program Jihad Watch):

For more on Muhammad's relationship with Aisha, click here.

Reza Aslan Spoofs Nativity Scene to Sell Copies of "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth"

Reza Aslan has a new video ad for his recent book, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. The video depicts a "wise woman" showing up shortly after the birth of Jesus, offering Joseph and Mary "the greatest Christmas gift ever": a copy of Zealot. Here's the ad:

If this video had been made by someone who wasn't a complete hypocrite, I wouldn't have a problem with it. Reza Aslan, however, routinely condemns anyone who dares offend Muslims or criticize Islam. Indeed, he blames critics of jihad for violence, even when the violence was committed by Muslims. For instance, Shaima Alawadi was honor-killed by her own husband. Yet Reza blamed Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller for the murder (based on the husband's planted "Islamophobic" note telling Alawadi to "Go back to your country, you terrorist"):

Not exactly what we would expect from a self-proclaimed internationally acclaimed "scholar" of religions!

In reality, Aslan is an associate professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside. In Zealot, Aslan uses his creative writing skills to get creative with history (just as he often gets creative with his "scholarly" credentials), arguing that Jesus was a failed jihadist, who wanted to slaughter the Romans but just couldn't manage to get the job done.

What about all those Bible passages in which Jesus commands his followers to turn the other cheek, to love their enemies, to pray for their persecutors, etc.? According to Aslan, these passages were either fabricated or massively distorted by later Christians. The "real" Jesus wanted only bloodshed.

Years ago, Aslan condemned the Jyllands-Posten for reinforcing stereotypes and promoting hatred. He concluded:

And that is why as a Muslim American I am enraged by the publication of these cartoons. Not because they offend my prophet or my religion, but because they fly in the face of the tireless efforts of so many civic and religious leaders—both Muslim and non-Muslim—to promote unity and assimilation rather than hatred and discord; because they play into the hands of those who preach extremism; because they are fodder for the clash-of-civilizations mentality that pits East against West. For all of that I blame Jyllands-Posten. We in the West want Muslim leaders to condemn the racial and religious prejudices that are so widespread in the Muslim world. Let us lead by example. (Source)

And yet, despite his calls for tolerance and sensitivity, Aslan has no problem telling Christians that Jesus was a wannabe terrorist, that Christianity is based on myths and deception, and that Zealot is the "greatest Christmas gift ever." Moreover, Aslan finds it amusing to spoof the Nativity scene (during the Christmas season, no less) in order to sell a book that treats the Nativity story as a fiction.

Reza Aslan

Again, I wouldn't have a problem with the video if it were coming from someone who was a bit more consistent. But facts are facts. Aslan certainly didn't make a video about Muhammad's birth in an effort to sell copies of his book No God but God. Indeed, if Robert Spencer had made a video depicting the birth of Muhammad in order to sell copies of The Truth about Muhammad, Aslan would have called him a bigot, a hate-monger, and an Islamophobe (following the inevitable international bloody riots).

Why the double-standards? Because Aslan knows he can get away with it. He knows the media will fawn all over him, even as he desperately tries to make Jesus sound like Muhammad and Muhammad sound like Jesus. And he knows that, no matter how much he insults Christians or their beliefs about Jesus, no Christians are coming to kill him (which, according to Aslan, makes them poor followers of their violent Lord).

Reza Aslan's Historical Method

Reza Aslan

Reza Aslan's latest book, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, is filled with a strange mixture of (1) sound historical research, and (2) some of the silliest historical blunders I've ever read.

Take, for instance, Reza's view of Historical Jesus Studies. On one page (xx), Reza assures his readers that they can learn nothing about the Historical Jesus, because any argument about Jesus can be instantly countered by an equally persuasive argument opposing it. On another page (xxxi), Reza tells us that his view of Jesus is the only view that stands up to scrutiny.

See the inconsistency? Oddly enough, Reza doesn't. Neither do the groveling media who help him sell his book.

Reza Aslan and the Deity of Jesus

Reza Aslan believes that Jesus was a failed jihadist, executed by the Roman Empire on charges of sedition. Yet Reza's historical investigations, as inconsistent as they are, occasionally reveal some important truths.

In this video, Historical Jesus scholar Mike Licona joins Sam and David on "Jesus or Muhammad?" to discuss some of Reza's claims.

Reza Aslan's Jihad Jesus

Anyone who reads our earliest sources on the life of Muhammad and compares them with our earliest sources on the life of Jesus can only be shocked by the stark contrast. Jesus loved others so much that he laid down his life for them. Muhammad hated others so much that he slaughtered and subjugated everyone who got in his way. Muslims are embarrassed by this contrast, but what can they do about it?

The goal of Islam's Western defenders is simple: Make Muhammad sound more like Jesus, and Jesus sound more like Muhammad. Hence, Western Muslim apologists water down Muhammad's teachings, assuring their ignorant listeners that Islam is peaceful and tolerant. Then they rip Jesus' teachings out of context in order to make them sound violent.

Should anyone be surprised that Reza Aslan portrays Jesus as a failed jihadist?