Reza Aslan as One of the Most Controversial Religious - Essay Example

Reza Aslans Auto/Biography Reza Aslans Auto/Biography Autobiographic Fragment Reza Aslan is one of the most controversial religious scholars of this time given the numerous scholarly publications that he had done that have erupted a lot of controversies as far as Christianity and Islams religions are concerned. Since Aslan was a religious pundit, his biography will tend to focus more on the religious and cultural fragment than the other sects since most of his life activities revolved around that notion. Reza Aslan was born on the third day of May 1972 in the city of Tehran in Iran to Muslim parents. Shortly after his birth his parents had to flee Tehran due the Iranian revolution that culminated in violence and war. They moved from Iran in 1979 and sought refuge in the United States of America. Typically, Aslan grew up in the San Francisco Bay in America an area that is rich with varied cultures because a large number of people that sought exile in America reside in that place. The early years of Aslan was characterized by a great deal of interaction between various cultures since he was born in an Islamic state and brought up in a Muslim culture only later for the environment to change to a different setting (Aslan, 2011). The mixed cultures that Aslan was exposed to during his earlier years influenced him in various measures as he was juggling between the different cultural practices as well as religions since the setting of his childhood was diverse thus presenting a scenario whereby he had to interact with people of different values. The influence was so intense to the point that Aslan had to convert to Christianity at the age of fifteen years to fit, in the environment he was living. His conversion was primarily premised on the fact that the educational system in America was more of Christian-oriented than it was to Islam (Aslan, 2013). Despite the fact that Islam was one of the major religions in the country a majority of the educational and administrative activities were conducted according to the doctrines of Christianity. It was prudent that he had to convert to Christianity or rather give in to the influence in his new home if at all he had to make it in his educational aspirations. However, after advancing in his education he saw the need to revert back to his original religion since the more he furthered his knowledge on religious matters the more he appreciated other religions and in early 1990 before joining Harvard University he reconverted back to Islam. Aslan’s conversion to and from Islam can be elaborated in two distinctive ways. To begin with it can be argued that he converted, to Christianity to fit in the new environment in San Francisco (Evans and Beverley, 2013). Unlike Iran, America tends to be more of a Christian state than it is Islamic despite the large numbers of Muslims that reside in the nation. Thus, most of the practices in education, administration and even the social welfare of the residents are undertaken from a Christian viewpoint. Thus for anybody especially the immigrants to fit well in the new setting he/she has to convert to Christianity so as to move with the majority. Additionally, when Aslan converted to Christianity, he was a young boy barely fifteen years old. Typically, he has little knowledge as far as religion and culture are concerned and thus the move was a formality to enable him to fit, in the educational system to ensure that he acquires knowledge without any hurdle. The moment he got vocational training at the tertiary level he begun to develop a more pragmatic approach to religion and thus developed an in-depth insight of what entails both Christianity and Islam. Thus, the move to reconvert back to Islam was a higher decision since it was more informed and came at a time when Aslan had studied both religions in a professional nature thus was able to make informed decisions as far as his choice of religion is concerned (Evans and Beverley, 2013). Historical Fragment Aslan barely tasted the Iranian life since he stayed in Tehran for only five years. However, the short period he experienced the Iranian way of life prepared him for greater things later in life. In essence, the Islamic teachings that he was given while he was young engrained some sense of religious diversity into the young man since later in life he converted to Christianity thus having to experience both religions in length. Reza Aslan’s idea to venture into religion professionally was premised, on the experiences he got earlier in life and thus making it ideal for him to study both religions with ease. The few years he had converted, to Christianity, he was an evangelical Christian meaning he focused on the New Testament. It is evident that once he completed his post-graduate studies he became a significant figure in the faculty of humanities and specifically in the field of religion as a number of institutions wanted his services due to the vast pool of knowledge that he had (Castelli, 2013). Aslan’s parents freed Iran in 1990 with the hope of finding a more stable place to advance their lives away from the conflicts that the Iranian revolution brought along back at home. It was the desire of both Aslan’s family and other people who freed the country that wherever they will settle they will be able to find lasting peace to carry on with their normal lives with ease. However, the new environment had its equal share of challenges now not war related. Unlike Iran which is an Islamic state with a conventional way of life, America is entirely different since Christianity was the most dominant religion with the lifestyle of the people being modest without any form of restrictions or rather adherence to values and morals (Falkenhayner, 2014). Aslan experienced a sense of culture shock in his early days in San Francisco since the way he was brought up back in Tehran was entirely different from the new way of life that they were assimilating in the new land. However, given the fact that Aslan was still young he had the advantage of quickly fitting in the new setting since he would interact with other children in school and the neighbourhood and in that light he was quickly Americanized a reason at some point he had to convert to Christianity to fully fit into the new culture. Reza got indulged in the religious matters to the extent that every aspect of his life had to revolve around religion. He wrote some books expounding on Islam and Christianity in equal measure. He made so much effort to intertwine the two religions a reason he married Jessica Jackley, who is a Christian to further the fusion of the two religions to new heights (Castelli, 2013). Religious Fragment The historical and autobiographic fragments bleed to the religious piece that is fundamental in the life of Reza Aslan. To begin with Aslan is a religious professor, and thus most of his life activities and experiences should revolve around religion and other associated aspects. It is until Aslan pursued his undergraduate degree in religious studies from the University of Santa Barbra that he developed a pragmatic approach to religion. Previously, the decisions and arguments that he made concerning religious matters were barely uninformed since he possessed little knowledge in the field of religion. Now that he had undertaken to specialize in religious matters he had an in-depth knowledge of the discipline and thus was able to tackle issues dealing with religion from a pundit’s point of view. Reza was born to Muslim parents back in Iran who raised him conforming to the Islamic values and way of life. The fact that his family had to flee the war that culminated with the Iranian revolution made them immigrants in America a society that was open and different from the way he had been brought up. He had to find a way of fitting in the new setting and that included assimilating the way of life of the new people that he interacted a fact that led to his conversion to Christianity at a tender age of fifteen years (Castelli, 2013). Ideally, Aslan’s decision to convert to an Evangelical Christian was more of a formality in order to survive in the new environment since San Francisco was more Christian oriented and everything was conducted in accordance with the Christian teachings. As a young teen who was keen to advance his education he had to move on the direction of the wave just as they saying goes when you go to Rome you learn to live the Roman way. It is prudent that by converting to Christianity it made it easier for Aslan to interact with his peers and perfectly fit in the environment a reason that enabled him to acquire a sense of belonging to the American culture. Incidentally, despite the move being a mere formality it shaped his ideals and religious perspectives since the knowledge he received from the Bible and Christianity, in general, ensured he had a firm foundation both in values and morals that would later assist him to pursue a career in that line of study. At Santa Barbra University Aslan’s undergraduate dissertation was a titled ‘Global Jihadism as a Transnational Social Movement: a theoretical framework’. The essay portrays Aslan as an individual who appreciated diverse religious beliefs given the fact that at that time he was a Christian yet he undertook to work on an Islamic themed dissertation (Aslan, Tapper, & Palgrave Connect, 2011). Conversely, it is worth noting that the fact that he had advanced his knowledge on religious matter opened up his overall perspectives on both Islam and Christianity a reason he was tolerant to both religions both in academic and his practical life. Relatively, before joining Harvard University for his Master’s degree in sociology Aslan converted back to Islam a decision that I would premise, on the urge to explore both religions in totality. After close to ten years practicing Christianity it was an ideal moment for Reza to turn to Islam in order to experience the theoretical concepts he had been studying from a first-hand experience to boost his understanding of both religions to ensure his professionalism of religion comes from real life experiences a fact that will increase his credentials as a religious pundit (Falkenhayner, 2014). Additionally, Aslan had worked to ensure the religious freedoms and rights of both Muslims and Christians are protected in equal measure. For instance he busted the atheists who are criticizing Islam as a religion that promotes female genital mutilation by arguing the practice in one region of the world cannot be used as a blanket fact for the entire religion. He went further to explain the religious practices in Turkey are not equally the same as those in Somalia or Saudi Arabia (Aslan, Tapper, & Palgrave Connect, 2011). Aslan asserted that Islam is a religion of signs and metaphors, and it differs in the manner in which people around the world interpret them. Despite being bound by the similar faith the acts of one religious sect within the Muslim faith might differ from the other a reason why some groups are holding extremist ideologies concerning Jihadism unlike the rest of the Islamic fraternity. He is on record for agitating for the protection of the religious freedom of Middle Eastern Christians from persecution since he termed the spiritual cleansing that was being undertaken by the Christians who are a minority group in that religion would have adverse consequences for both the Islam and Christianity in general (Aslan, 2002). Political Fragment Aslan spent a considerable period of his childhood in America thus he developed the democratic ideologies that were governing the nation. The fact that he embraced the political system in America made him a different persona as compared to the kind of personality he would have grew up to be had it happened that he would continue staying in Iran where the country was experiencing constant conflict as a result of the Iranian Revolution. Incidentally, Iran was ruled by autocratic system of governance whereby the leaders imposed his will on the subjects thus freedom and rights of the individuals were often infringed since the political system was not keen to ensure equality and liberty for all groups in the country (Majd, 2010). Ideally, Christians who formed the minority group in the country were often persecuted a situation that culminated in religious hatred between the two groups. However, in the American society political civilization was a notch higher and respect for individual rights and freedoms was fundamental and even the minority groups had their say concerning administrative issues just as the ancient saying goes the majority wins but the minority will have their say. Numbers were not the motivation in the American political scene despite the majority having to win the minority groups would be heard since there was a political space that facilitated their the grievances of the lesser groups to be addressed. The modest political setup in America bred Aslan to be an individual who was tolerant to varied political and religious ideologies (Castelli, 2013). Aslan took a modest position concerning the matter by singling out Jihad from extremism that is being experienced in some Islamic states. He asserted that Islamic extremism is different from Jihad since it is a cosmic war whereby warring religious sects fight one another in other to gain earthly goals making it different from Jihad that is regarded as a holy war. The ultimate goals of Jihad in heavenly treasures and thus extremism cannot be justified as holy war since its primary objective is based on earthly possessions and the overall transformation of the world into a borderless Islamic community. The fact that Aslan had indulged in religious studies in an objective manner made him made strong remarks concerning Islamic extremism an issue that is increasingly causing political and security concerns across the world (Gray, 2015). However, Aslan is notable of warning atheists from generalizing the acts of few misled Muslims to represent the entire religion. He argued that people have their free will to interpret the Islamic teachings in the manner they best wish; however the fact that some sect of the religion has misinterpreted the teachings of Islamic faith to advance their selfish interests should not be used as a blanket condemnation of the entire Islamic fraternity. He goes on to assert that for countries like the United States of America to win the war on terrorism that is closely linked to Islamic extremism they should not fight back but rather engage moderate Islamic political groups in the democratic process since that will serve to reduce the level of extremism. For instance in countries like United Arab Emirates, Turkey or Saudi Arabia the standard of extremism is relatively small since Islamic political groups have been integrated into the democratic processes of the individual nations (Majd, 2010). Postmodern Fragment The world is so dynamic in the sense that the manner in which things were done in the past cannot fit in the current environment. If Aslan moves to Tehran where he was born approximately forty-three years ago, he will probably not fit in that particular setting. Like any other conservationist state, Iran is deep-rooted in the Islamic faith to the extent the pragmatic manner in which Aslan views religious matter cannot augur well with the people or rather with the authorities. Over the years, he has advanced his academic qualification and specialized in the field of religion to an extent that he takes a professional perspective whenever he is dealing with religious issues. The idea of accepting doctrines just as elders or rather the authorities want it to be cannot intertwine with the knowledge that he possesses concerning religious matters. It is from that point that he can criticize uncouth religious practices such as Islamic extremism by saying they do not represent the true Islamic faith. Sympathizers of those acts will argue that Aslan has been polluted by the Christian faith that he at some point converted to but the fact of the matter is that Jihad and extremism are two different aspects that cannot be generalized to represent the same faith. Unlike other Muslims, Aslan has grown to be open-minded as far as religion is concerned since he had broken the religious barrier between Muslims and Christians since he is keen to intertwine the two religions to clear the enormity that had been in existence for years (“About Reza Aslan”, n.d.). Conversely, Aslan has been vocal in criticizing the persecution of Christians in the Middle East by warning of adverse consequences that will culminate from the erroneous acts that are being perpetrated in the name of religious cleansing. Consequently, given the fact that Aslan has an experience of what the Islamic and Christian faiths entail he has taken a modest position concerning the two religions. Despite being a Muslim he has adopted a spirited campaign to ensure the freedom and rights of Christians in Islamic are being protected while agitating for tolerance of the Islamic faith by other religions since not all Muslims are into terrorism (Rothkopf, 2015). The fact that he has been able to juggle perfectly between the two religions has made him a reputable figure in the field of religious studies a reason why he is a primary consultant in a number of tertiary institutions across America. In 2013, Reza Aslan was involved in a controversy after being engaged in a television interview with Fox News channel. Lauren Green, who was the anchor of the interview, questioned the legitimacy of Aslan to author a book that is critical of Jesus yet he was a Muslim. Aslan’s book ‘Zealot: the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth’ was critical of Jesus and thus Green was concerned why a Muslim would bother to write a book about Jesus and the New Testament in general instead of focusing on the Quran. However, Aslan defended himself that he was a professor of religion including the New Testament thus all the insights that he had on Jesus in the book were in order since he had studied both the New Testament and the Quran during his academic research. Evidently, Aslan is not new to controversy since his predictions in the field of religion have elevated him as a reputed pundit with an equal share of controversies. However, it is from this point of view that he has been able to fit ultimately into the American culture while holding to his original Islamic faith (Aslan, 2013). References About Reza Aslan. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://rezaaslan.com/about/ [Accessed on 19 Jun. 15 Aslan, R. (2002). The story of Zero. Aslan, R. (2011). No god but God: The Origins and evolution of Islam. New York: Delacorte Press. Aslan, R. (2011). No god but God: The Origins, evolution, and future of Islam. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks. Aslan, R. (2011). Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East. New York: W. W. Norton & Co. Aslan, R. (2013). Zealot: The life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. New York: Random House. Aslan, R. (2013). ZEALOT: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. Aslan, R., & Aslan, R. (2010). Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious extremism in the age of globalization. New York: Random House. Aslan, R., Tapper, A. J. H., & Palgrave Connect (Online service). (2011). Muslims and Jews in America: Commonalities, Contentions, and Complexities. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Castelli, E. (2013). Reza Aslan-Historian. Retrieved from http://www.thenation.com/article/175688/reza-aslan-historian# Evans, C. A., & Beverley, J. A. (2013). Getting Jesus right: And how Reza Aslan gets Jesus (and Islam) wrong. Falkenhayner, N. (2014). Making the British Muslim: Representations of the Rushdie Affair and figures of the war-on-terror decade. Gray, S. (2015). Reza Aslan Blasts Anti-Islamic Ignorance after Charlie Hebdo Attack. Retrieved from http://www.salon.com/2015/01/12/reza_aslan_those_asking_why_muslims_arent_condemning_attacks_dont_own_google/ Majd, H. (2010). The Ayatollahs Democracy: An Iranian Challenge. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Rothkopf, J. (2015). Reza Aslan Perfectly Explains Why Islamophobes Are Getting Wrong about ISIS (2015) Retrieved from http://www.salon.com/2015/04/06/reza_aslan_isis_is_technically_islamic_but_thats_still_no_excuse_for_islamophobia/ Read More