Reza Aslan
Reza Aslan | |
|---|---|
Aslan in 2023 | |
| Born | May 3, 1972 Tehran, Iran |
| Citizenship | Iranian-American |
| Education | Santa Clara University (BA) Harvard University (MTS) University of Iowa (MFA) University of California, Santa Barbara (PhD) |
| Occupation(s) | Scholar, writer, and TV host |
| Organization(s) | Aslan Media Inc., BoomGen Studios |
| Notable work | No God but God Zealot |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Leila Forouhar (aunt) |
Reza Aslan (Persian: رضا اصلان, IPA: [ˈɾezɒː æsˈlɒːn]; born May 3, 1972) is an Iranian-American scholar of sociology, writer, and television host. A convert to evangelical Christianity from Shia Islam as a youth, Aslan eventually reverted to Islam but continued to write about Christianity. He has written four books on religion: No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in the Age of Globalization, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, God: A Human History and in 2022 An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville.
Aslan has worked for television, including a documentary series exploring world religions on CNN called Believer, and served as an executive producer on the HBO drama series The Leftovers. Aslan is a member of the American Academy of Religion and the International Qur'anic Studies Association. He is a professor of creative writing at University of California, Riverside, and a board member of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC).