Scandal with Reza Aslan
It’s got plenty of competition but this may just be the single most cringe-worthy – embarrassing interview broadcast on Fox News. At least in recent memory. Fox News anchor Lauren Green had religious scholar Reza Aslan on her show Friday to talk about “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth” – his book that has been stirring up some online controversy recently.
Reza Aslan.
Religious scholar Reza Aslan recently appeared on the FoxNews.com show Spirited Debate and the host insisted that his being a Muslim somehow affects the quality of his new book about Jesus. The whole ordeal was embarrassing for Fox News, but things are only going to get better from here for the author.
Aslan appeared on the online show on Friday to promote his new book, “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth”, about how the environment Jesus grew up in shaped him. But host Lauren Green didn’t want to talk about the book so much as she wanted to talk about how Aslan is a Muslim. “You’re a Muslim, so why did you write a book about the founder of Christianity?” was Green’s very first question.
Aslan responded: “Well, to be clear, I am a scholar of religions with four degrees, including one in the New Testament, and fluency in biblical Greek, who has been studying the origins of Christianity for two decades, who also just happens to be a Muslim.”
The answer did not seem to satisfy Green, so Aslan added: “Because it’s my job as an academic. I am a professor of religion, including the New Testament. That’s what I do for a living, actually.”
Earlier this month, Aslan told HuffPost Live host Ahmed Shihab-Eldin: “I’ve been obsessed with Jesus for a very, very long time” and his fascination inspired his latest book.