Sunday, July 28, 2013

Here's a question: Why would a Muslim want to write about Jesus?

I stumbled across a very intriguing video online yesterday. It was an interview done by Fox News between Lauren Green and Bible scholar and religious historian Reza Aslan.

Watch the video here

Lauren Green struggles throughout the interview to wrap her mind about why a MOOSLIM would want to write about the founder of Christianity.

Mr Aslan replies, quite frustrated, that it is his job as an academic and as a professor of religion. He lists all of his qualifications and background but Ms Green is still convinced and continues to attack him throughout the rest of the interview for his faith.

She even accuses him of until recently keeping his Muslim faith a secret to which he replies that it is mentioned on page two of his book and then asks Ms Green if she has even read his book or knows that much about him at all.

They should show this video in university journalism classes about how NOT to do an interview.

Ms Green went in with a clear negative agenda. She had no intention of discussing Mr Aslan's new book detailing the history of Jesus. She was clearly threatened and confused that a Muslim would dare to claim that he could be an expert on the founder of Christianity. Surely he had to some insidious agenda RIGHT? He couldn't just be...an expert on religion who happened to also be Muslim? Nah...

I felt really sorry for him throughout the interview. Here is a man who has devoted his life to the study of religion, has four degrees on the subject, and is a renowned writer and speaker on religion being attacked for his faith. What does his faith have to do with anything he writes? He is a Historian. If Ms Green knew anything at all about Islam she would know that Jesus a highly respected figure in the faith. Why is she threatened by him?

The interview raises the question should writers be able to write about faiths that are not their own?

Of course they should! What a narrow minded world Fox News lives in. No one should be attacked for their faith or for their opinion.

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