Top Reza Aslan Quotes - Quotesmemo.com

Reza Aslan Biography

Reza Aslan (Persian: رضا اصلان‎, IPA: [ˈɾezɒː æsˈlɒːn]; born May 3, 1972) is an Iranian-American author, public intellectual, religious studies scholar, producer, and television host. He has written three books on religion: No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in the Age of Globalization, and Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. Aslan is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the International Qur'anic Studies Association. He is also a professor of creative writing at University of California, Riverside.

Read about Reza Aslan in Wikipedia

Random Authors

Reza Aslan Quotes

Why? Why not? Why not you? Why not now?

Why Not

There's no question that homophobia is rampant among the world's 1. 5 billion Muslims - but that doesn't negate the fact that there are huge groups of Muslims who have easily reconciled their faith and sexual orientation, like LGBT people in other faith communities.

Community, Faith, Groups, Homophobia, People

The idea of literalism in the Bible is a very new phenomenon. In many ways, it's a product of the scientific revolution.

Ideas, Literalism, Phenomenon, Revolution, Way, Ways

I have to say that it's a weird feeling to have to respond to a Christian leader of an anti-Muslims organisation - it would be like having to respond to a Muslim leader of an anti-Jewish organisation about Judaism so the whole thing is kind of weird. Let me just say it's kind of convenient to simply pick and choose whatever violent bits and pieces one finds in the Koran and ignore the equally important versus that talk about compassion and peace.

Choose, Christian, Compassion, Leader, Muslim, Talk

But perhaps the most important innovation in the doctrine of jihad was its outright prohibition of all but strictly defensive wars. “Fight in the way of God those who fight you,” the Quran says, “but do not begin hostilities; God does not like the aggressor” (2:190). Elsewhere the Quran is more explicit: “Permission to fight is given only to those who have been oppressed. . . who have been driven from their homes for saying, 'God is our Lord' ” (22:39; emphasis added).

Driven, Fighting, Home, Homes, Jihad, War

A majority of Israelis want to give up the West Bank for peace, and obviously the same thing is desired by the Palestinians. The strong voice of the president of the United States will have a major impact on public opinion, not only in this country, but also in Israel and also in Palestine.

Bank, Country, Desired, Giving Up, States, Strong

When you forcefully suppress religious nationalism, you radicalize it.

Forcefully, Nationalism, Radicalize, Religious, Suppress

Islam is more than a religion, it's much more than a religion, it's a way of life, it is a one party political system that has a very elaborate legal system that can put you to death if you leave it.

Elaborate, Islam, Life, Party, Political

I think that in many ways, some of those who did vote for Trump are sorry that they did so. But the hope, at least, is that we have a chance to make up for those kinds of mistakes.

Mistake, Sorry, Think, Thinking, Trump, Ways

As with all journeys, the Way has an end, though it should not be imagined as a straight road leading to a fixed destination but rather as a majestic mountain whose peak conceals the presence of God. There are, of course, many paths to the summit-some better than others. But because every path eventually leads to the same destination, which path one takes is irrelevant.

God, Imagined, Journey, Mountain, Way

No- one is ever told any story but their own.

Stories, Story, Told

Paul's lack of concern with the historical Jesus is not due, as some have argued, to his emphasis on Christological rather than historical concerns. It is due to the simple fact that Paul had no idea who the living Jesus was, nor did he care.

Argued, Historical, Ideas, Jesus, Paul, Simple

There is absolutely no difference between religion and politics at all in Jesus' time. In other words, every seemingly religious word that came out of Jesus' mouth had very clear and unmistakable political connotations to it.

Differences, Jesus, Religious, Seemingly, Words

When I was in the US, I felt that the discourse there surrounding Muslims as the other, problematising Muslims and Islam as the other was very similar to what we find in Australia, which is that the image of Islam is a constructed image in the West. We are starting from a point of view that Islam and Muslims - well Islam is a violent, misogynistic, hateful religion and that is where the debate always starts from - that presumption underlies the discourse.

Views, Australia, Islam, Surrounding, Constructed

The language of religion holds the most currency for the masses.

Currency, Language, Mass, Masses

Religion doesn't make people bigots. People are bigots and they use religion to justify their ideology.

Ideology, Make, People, Religion, Use

Obama has been the single worst president in modern American history in dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

President, Conflict, Modern, History, Worst, Obama

I'm interested in the origins of the religious experience, how the history of religion has evolved over the last umpteen thousand years, and where religiosity is going in the future. I think that's a topic I've been chewing on for a few years; I would love to eventually work on and produce a book out of it.

Book, Chewing, Religious, Think, Thinking, Thousand

There's this notion that Republicans are the party of Jesus and the Democrats are the Godless party. Let's be clear for a minute. One party wants to give health insurance to the poor and the weak and the dispossessed, and one party wants to take away that health insurance and give tax breaks to rich people. You tell me: which side would Jesus fall on that argument?

Fall, Insurance, Jesus, Party, Rich, Tax

Is it possible that Jesus, unlike 98 percent of his fellow Jews, was literate and educated? Yes, it's possible.

Educated, Jesus, Jew, Literate, Percent, Possible

1