quote:

ORIGINAL: Lucylastic

nah
nah its not, uppity is a class joke with me not racism, but
your racism is peeking

quote:

ORIGINAL: Yachtie

FR-

He may not be as expert as he claims.



Aslan does have four degrees, as Joe Carter has noted: a 1995 B.A. in religion from Santa Clara University, where he was Phi Beta Kappa and wrote his senior thesis on “The Messianic Secret in the Gospel of Mark”; a 1999 Master of Theological Studies from Harvard; a 2002 Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from the University of Iowa; and a 2009 Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

None of these degrees is in history, so Aslan’s repeated claims that he has “a Ph.D. in the history of religions” and that he is “a historian” are false. Nor is “professor of religions” what he does “for a living.” He is an associate professor in the Creative Writing program at the University of California, Riverside, where his terminal MFA in fiction from Iowa is his relevant academic credential. It appears he has taught some courses on Islam in the past, and he may do so now, moonlighting from his creative writing duties at Riverside. Aslan has been a busy popular writer, and he is certainly a tireless self-promoter, but he is nowhere known in the academic world as a scholar of the history of religion. And a scholarly historian of early Christianity? Nope.

What about that Ph.D.? As already noted, it was in sociology. I have his dissertation in front of me. It is a 140-page work titled “Global Jihadism as a Transnational Social Movement: A Theoretical Framework.” If Aslan’s Ph.D. is the basis of a claim to scholarly credentials, he could plausibly claim to be an expert on social movements in twentieth-century Islam. He cannot plausibly claim, as he did to Lauren Green, that he is a “historian,” or is a “professor of religions” “for a living.”

quote:

ORIGINAL: Powergamz1

Ahhh yes, that StormFront meme again... call minorities racist at every chance.

And that has what to do with the thread topic?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Fightdirecto

The Christian Science Monitor

quote:

American public discourse about Islam is filled with essentialist paranoia, fear, and the commentary of people who not only don't know much about the topic but are often dismissive of people who do.

But the reception that scholar Reza Aslan received on Fox last Friday was a new twist: Muslim views of Christianity are inherently suspect, it seems. Mr. Aslan, who has a PhD in the sociology of religion from UCSB and a masters in theological studies from Harvard, is promoting his new book "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth" and was on with Fox religion correspondent Lauren Green to talk about it. He was born in Iran, his family fled the Islamic Revolution there in 1979, and he grew up in the US where he converted to Christianity as a teen and later converted back to the faith he was raised in.

FOX HAS BEEN FILLED WITH CHRISTIAN AND JEWISH COMMENTATORS EXPLAINING ISLAM TO THEIR AUDIENCE OVER THE YEARS. DANIEL PIPES HAS BEEN ONE OF THEM. AS HAS AYAAN HIRSI ALI, A FORMER MUSLIM WHO BECAME AN ATHEIST AND WHO DESCRIBES ISLAM AS FUNDAMENTALLY VIOLENT AND HAS WRITTEN BOOKS ATTACKING THE FAITH. AS HAVE PAMELA GELLER AND ROBERT SPENCER, WHO BOTH DESCRIBE ISLAM AS INHERENTLY VIOLENT. IN THE PAST, IT'S EVEN HAD CONSPIRACY THEORIST GLENN BECK GIVE LONG EXPOSITIONS OF THE ESSENCE OF ISLAMIC LAW AS HE SEES IT.

NONE OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE MUSLIMS, YET AS FAR AS I'M AWARE THEIR COMMENTS HAVE NEVER BEEN QUESTIONED ON THE NETWORK AS SUSPECT SINCE THEY CAME FROM NON-MUSLIMS. Yet his faith was a major talking point for Ms. Green in their interview. HER FIRST QUESTION? "YOU'RE A MUSLIM, SO WHY DID YOU WRITE A BOOK ABOUT THE FOUNDER OF CHRISTIANITY?"

He responds: "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. So it’s not that I’m just some Muslim writing about Jesus, I am an expert with a PhD in the history of religion..."

At this point Ms. Green breaks in: "But it still begs the question though of why you'd be interested in the founder of Christianity?"

Does it really beg that question? Not to me. ….

Frequently the US mass media places Muslims all in one box and it's not only inaccurate, but also harmful to a real understanding of the world and its problems.

Ms. Green's interview with Aslan is a premier example. Her first question clearly implies that Aslan – whose book is controversial – has some kind of agenda, something suspicious. His answer to her, expounding on his academic credentials and the fact that as a scholar he's interested in religions (plural), not just his own faith, is spot on.

He tells her: "IT WOULD BE LIKE ASKING A CHRISTIAN WHY THEY WOULD WRITE A BOOK ABOUT ISLAM.... I've been obsessed with Jesus for 20 years." He also points out that his wife and his mother are Christians, and says that "anyone who thinks this book is an attack on Christianity has not read it yet."

But Green presses on, quoting a Fox op-ed by Christian pastor John S. Dickerson, who wrote: "Media reports have introduced Aslan as a 'religion scholar' but have failed to mention that he is a devout Muslim."

Really? On July 16, the excellent WNYC host Brian Lehrer had Aslan on and mentioned his faith before asking the first question: "Just some background on you first. You come from Iran originally, you've been through Christianity and Sufi Islam among your personal beliefs. Are you a practicing anything today?" Aslan responded: "Yeah, I'm definitely a Muslim and Sufism is the tradition within Islam that I most closely adhere to."

I'm sure other interviews and reviews have failed to mention his faith. But, well, so what? This is a classic case of attacking the man, and not the argument.

Make no mistake Aslan does have an agenda. He has written a book about the historicity of Jesus, and attempts to locate Jesus as a figure of historical study have always been profoundly controversial, particularly for people who believe in Jesus Christ, the son of God and savior of mankind. Will there be scholarly criticisms of the book, saying he's gotten it wrong? Inevitably. His book is just the latest entry into the scholarly debate over the historical Jesus.

Green appears confused – or perhaps angry about – the separation of scholarship and belief (she herself is a devout Christian who was brought up in the African Methodist Episcopal Church).

"You're promoting yourself as a scholar and I've interviewed scholars who have written books on the resurrection, on the real Jesus ... who are looking at the same information that you're saying is somehow different from theirs is really not being honest here," she charges.

Aslan answers back: "I THINK IT'S UNFAIR TO JUST SIMPLY ASSUME BECAUSE OF MY PARTICULAR FAITH BACKGROUND THAT THERE IS SOME AGENDA ON THIS BOOK – THAT WOULD BE LIKE SAYING A CHRISTIAN WHO WRITES ABOUT MUHAMMAD IS BY DEFINITION NOT ABLE TO DO SO BECAUSE HE HAS SOME BIAS AGAINST IT."

Green responds: "I believe you've been on several programs and have never disclosed that you're a Muslim and I think that there's an interest in full disclosure." To that he said: "Ma'am, the second page of my book, the second page of my books says I'm a Muslim ... it's simply incorrect that media isn't saying I'm a Muslim."

If Muslims should not be able to write about Christianity, should Christians be prevented from writing about Islam? Should atheists be prevented from writing about any religions and should anyone who is religious be prevented from writing about atheism?

Or is Islam a special case?

BLATHER!!!!!!!!

quote:

ORIGINAL: Fightdirecto

quote:

ORIGINAL: Powergamz1

There is no meat of the post. There isn't even a question worthy of not laughing at.

The "meat" is obvious to most.

If you, Powergamz, were to write a book attacking Islam or Mohammed and you had no credentials for your conclusions, academic or otherwise, no American interviewer would ask you, "As a non-Muslim, what gives you the right to write about Islam?" They would throw you softball questions if on the TV or the radio or write a glowing review in print.

But a Muslim scholar writes a book about Jesus - and the interviewer basically asks "As a non-Christian, what gives you the right to write about Christ and Christians?"

Whether it was Fox or some other branch of the Right-wing Media doesn't hide the hypocrisy.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Politesub53

quote:

ORIGINAL: Powergamz1

Ahhh yes, that StormFront meme again... call minorities racist at every chance.

And that has what to do with the thread topic?

I think you will find you introduced race into the thread, no one else.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Politesub53

quote:

ORIGINAL: Powergamz1

Ahhh yes, that StormFront meme again... call minorities racist at every chance.

And that has what to do with the thread topic?

I think you will find you introduced race into the thread, no one else.

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

okay for those who say that a Muslim cant write about Christianity, would this be like an atheist writing about religion? Or a pro football player talking about baseball or soccer?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Powergamz1

The word you are looking for is 'uppity'.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lucylastic

theres a difference between being as good as everyone, and knowing better than everyone
the second one is your issue.
and I can keep pointing out the difference

quote:

ORIGINAL: Powergamz1

Ahhh yes, that StormFront meme again... call minorities racist at every chance.

And that has what to do with the thread topic?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lucylastic

nah
nah its not, uppity is a class joke with me not racism, but
your racism is peeking

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lucylastic

You accused me of meaning uppity, which I did not, except in response to you accusing me of using it. oh and in the last sentence.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Powergamz1

The word you are looking for is 'uppity'.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lucylastic

theres a difference between being as good as everyone, and knowing better than everyone
the second one is your issue.
and I can keep pointing out the difference

<<<<


and again with the stormfront crap....you really are getting more pathetic by the day, and deliriously paranoid.
Put up these posts of mine with stormfront memes and racism, ive told you before to put up or shut up and yet you havent.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Powergamz1

Ahhh yes, that StormFront meme again... call minorities racist at every chance.

And that has what to do with the thread topic?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lucylastic

nah
nah its not, uppity is a class joke with me not racism, but
your racism is peeking

The topic is Aslan and fox.... A Muslim writing about christianity and the resultant clusterfuck with fox, please show where I said he was a racist?
Or not.... I really dont give a damn

quote:

There is no meat of the post. There isn't even a question worthy of not laughing at.

All it is, is agit-prop. But you feel free to keep on beating the drum for knee jerk polemics all you want

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lucylastic

as I though, all mouth and trousers, with fuck all to back it up