Quotes from Reza Aslan

Religion is, by definition, interpretation; and by definition, all interpretations are valid. However, some interpretations are more reasonable than others.

Islam is more than a religion, it's much more than a religion, it's a way of life, it is a one party political system that has a very elaborate legal system that can put you to death if you leave it.

Should I act violently in defense of my religion, absolutely.

No one speaks for God - not even the prophets (who speak about God)

Every single interview I have ever done on TV or in print says I'm a Muslim.

Many of the prophets of Jesus's time were thought to just be mad men, just sort of crazy people who were claiming to channel the divine. Perhaps that means we should be a little less judgmental of some of our own crazies talking about God on the corner. They might actually have found a pretty comfortable place in Jesus's time.

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 happens to be Muslim.

My biography of Jesus is probably the first popular biography that does not use the New Testament as its primary source material.

Literature offers not just a window into the culture of diverse regions, but also the society, the politics; it's the only place where we can keep track of ideas.

There's no question that homophobia is rampant among the world's 1.5 billion Muslims - but that doesn't negate the fact that there are huge groups of Muslims who have easily reconciled their faith and sexual orientation, like LGBT people in other faith communities.

Religion is never going to go away, and anyone who thinks it will doesn't understand what religion is. It is a language to describe the experience of human nature, so for as long as people struggle to describe what it means to be alive, it will be a ready-made language to express those feelings.

I have not ever met Donald Trump, and I plan to go my entire life without ever actually having to breathe the same air that he breathes.

It is the job of the historian to say what is likely, and of faith to say what is possible.

I'm interested in the origins of the religious experience, how the history of religion has evolved over the last umpteen thousand years, and where religiosity is going in the future. I think that's a topic I've been chewing on for a few years; I would love to eventually work on and produce a book out of it.

The idea that education will lead to a lessening of bigotry is just factually incorrect.

Islamophobia has become so mainstream in this country that Americans have been trained to expect violence against Muslims - not excuse it, but expect it. And that's happened because you have an Islamophobia industry in this country devoted to making Americans think there's an enemy within.

The key to recognizing who Jesus was is to recognize this fundamental truth: He was a Jew.

The truth of the matter is that when you write about religion like I do, you're writing about something that people take very seriously.

The Revolutionary Guard controls almost everything in Iran, and this is hurting the people.

There's nothing more distasteful than an academic having to, like, trot out his credentials. You really come off as a jerk when you do that.

You can be a follower of Jesus and not necessarily be a Christian.

I wouldn't call myself a Christian because I do not believe that Jesus is God, nor do I believe that he ever thought that he was God, or that he ever said that he was God.

There's only one reason to be crucified under the Roman Empire, and that is for treason or sedition. Crucifixion, we have to understand, was not actually a form of capital punishment for Rome. In fact, it was often the case that the criminal would be killed first and then crucified.

Religion doesn't make people bigots. People are bigots and they use religion to justify their ideology.