A best-selling author (“Zealot,” “No god but God”) and TV producer (HBO’s “Leftovers,” ABC’s “Kings and Prophets,” and CNN’s “Believer”), Aslan is more than up to the task of engaging the wits behind the wordsmithing. But on “Rough Draft,” he takes a lighter yet still serious tact as he discusses the fi ner points of storytelling and journalism with some of the best writers on the planet. He’s a tenured Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California and serves on the board of trustees for the Chicago Theological Seminary and The Yale Humanist Community, which supports atheists, agnostics, and humanists at home and abroad.To watch Reza Aslan spar with political pundits on television is always a treat because he exhibits a calm assuredness that often puts his adversaries in a state of forensic paralysis. He co-founded BoomGen Studios-the premiere entertainment brand for content from and about the Middle East, which has worked on project’s including Jon Stewart’s Rosewater, Netflix’s The Square, Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway, Discovery and TLC’s All American Muslim, and National Geographic’s Amreeka.Īslan’s degrees include a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University, a PhD in the Sociology of Religions from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa, where he was named the Truman Capote Fellow in Fiction. His latest book, God: A Human History-another New York Times bestseller-was praised by the Seattle Times, which writes, “Driven by Aslan’s grace and curiosity, God helps us pan out from our troubled times.”Īslan is also consulting producer on the acclaimed HBO series The Leftovers, the host and executive producer of Rough Draft with Reza Aslan, and the Emmy and Peabody Award-nominated Vox web series, The Secret Life of Muslims. His #1 New York Times bestseller Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth was translated into dozens of languages around the world and optioned for a film. Though the existential topics are earnest and meaningful, the duo approach them with humor and levity-breaking down the barriers that often arise between science and religion or faith and reason. The same can be said for Aslan’s books, which explore the history of religion and how we’ve come to understand the divine by assigning it human traits and emotions. In his podcast with The Office alum Rainn Wilson, titled Metaphysical Milkshake, Aslan wrestles with some of life’s biggest questions-like what happens after we die and whether human beings really do have free will. literary talent is as essential to the effect of Zealot as are his scholarly and journalistic chops. His inspiring talks reveal that it is only when we are united will we have the power to fight it. Aslan shows us how fear-organized and well-funded-perpetuates bigotry and victimizes us all. This show is about what that war did to two people, one who’s an Afghan, and one who is an American,” explains Aslan, who notes that the series is especially relevant amid the Biden administration’s decision to remove all troops from Afghanistan. “What we always say is that this show is not about the war in Afghanistan. The show not only offers much-needed representation in Hollywood-it also helps break down stereotypes, confront fear-based narratives, and, perhaps most importantly, humanizes our fraught politics. He currently serves as the executive producer of CBS series United States of Al, which follows the unique friendship between a combat veteran and his Afghan interpreter. “Relationships change minds.” In one way or another, Aslan’s work shows us that human relationships are what help us see beyond the symbols that separate us-that prove to us, ultimately, we’re all the same. “Education alone doesn’t change minds,” says Reza Aslan in his viral TED talk. This fear can be fought, but it requires us to come together as a people. Though the targets shift-Catholics, African Americans, the LGBTQ community, and now Muslims-the DNA is the same: Americans are led to believe they’re under siege from “an enemy within,” creating a dynamic of bigots and targets alike. Fear has long been a driving force in American society.
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