Reza Aslan, a world-renowned author, commentator, professor, producer and expert of religion will speak on Tuesday, Oct. 18, about religion, identity and the future of America. The talk will be held in Straub 156 at 7:30 p.m. and is facilitated by the Oregon Humanities Center.
Aslan’s insight on the divides present in America today is unique. Born in Iran, his family fled the country during the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and settled in the U.S. when Aslan was just 7 years old. Because of his immigrant experience, growing up as a Muslim in the U.S. and his vast academic background, Aslan has a fresh and insightful perspective on how America has reached the point of such harsh division, both socially and politically.
In an interview with Salon in 2014, Aslan spoke about religious identity and division in America, especially when it comes to Islam. When asked about what we can do to address the bigotry and ignorance towards Islam, Aslan explained we have to become far more literate about other people’s religions, and noted that for such a religiously devout and developed country like the U.S., our depth of understanding about religion is shallow.
“Religion is a matter of identity much more so than it is a matter of beliefs and practices, and that is something that is very, very difficult for Americans to understand,” Aslan said. “So if it were up to me, I would try to remind people that religious literacy is as important in our world today as any other kind of literacy.”
Aslan further explained how he believes that a better understanding of certain aspects of religion, such as its malleability and historical construction, will make people more equipped to criticize those aspects.
Aslan is a creative writing professor at the University of California, Riverside and has published numerous books. His first, No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam (2005), is an international bestseller. The book has been translated into 17 languages and was named one of the 100 most important books of the last decade by Blackwell Publishers. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth (2013) is a No. 1 New York Times bestseller and has also been translated into dozens of languages.
He is the author of titles such as Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in the Age of Globalization (2010), in addition to being the editor of two volumes: Tablet and Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East and Muslims and Jews in America: Commonalities, Contentions, and Complexities. Aslan is also contributing editor to The Daily Beast, and has written for The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, The Nation, Slate and The Christian Science Monitor.
You may also be familiar with Aslan’s work in the film and production industry. He is co-founder and chief creative officer of BoomGen Studios, a media company focused on providing alternative coverage of the Middle East and its diaspora communities. Furthermore, Aslan is executive producer of ABC TV drama, Of Kings and Prophets, a dramatic retelling of the biblical story of King David. 
In addition, he is the consulting producer to the HBO series The Leftovers and runs his own talk show, Rough Draft with Reza Aslan, which runs on the Ovation channel. He will be the host of a new CNN spiritual adventure series titled Believer, which follows Aslan as he immerses himself in various forms of worship, ritual and rites of passage found in religious traditions from around the world. He is a frequent guest on television and radio programs and achieved internet stardom for his composure in the face of ignorance during an interview with Fox News in 2013, and again in 2015 during an interview with CNN. 
Aslan’s lecture is free and open to the public and will be followed by a book sale and signing. Seating is limited to 500 and is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Doors will open at 7 p.m. The event will also be live-streamed at ohc.uoregon.edu. For more information, call (541) 346-3934 or email [email protected].