I have this book on hold at the library. I hope to read it soon. I liked his interview on the Daily Show the other night.

This wasn't a terrible interview, but he seemed a little overly defensive. He's on Fox, so can't really blame him.

Maybe he was just being really good at cutting her off at the pass, because she really derails the whole thing at the end. Fox sure didn't disappoint in representing their ignorance though! It was pretty clear it was an interview held by someone who'd read their talking points instead of the book by the author they were interviewing.

I enjoyed that enormously. ENORMOUSLY.

I love it when a smart person "debates" a... can I say it... zealot.

I hope this "interviewer" learns something from this exchange.

I wonder if her line of "questioning" would be the same for a Christian author who wrote a book about Islam... for some reason I don't think it'd be brought up at all.

She has essentially two 'questions': "why does a Muslim want to write about Jesus" and "here are some negative reviews of your book". This is not an interview. She should be ashamed of herself.

Amazing how clear it was that her only instructions going into this must have boiled down to attacking the muslim author for his book that their other squawking corporate tentacles were already drumming up false outrage about.

I'm just positive this was a talking point on several right wing radio programs, magazine, news papers and their other various apparatus.

I wonder if she's just doing her job, or if she actually doesn't realize that she displayed a complete lack of understanding of what scholars do or how books are even written.

So no one should write about the Vikings unless they believe in Odin?

That was a ten minute interrogation about a scholar's background instead of the book they wrote.

I mean, you can't even call that transparent, it's too clear to even pretend it's filtered by a pane of glass.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'interview, reza aslan, foxnews, the life and times of jesus of nazareth' to 'interview, reza aslan, fox news, zealot, the life and times of jesus of nazareth' - edited by xxovercastxx

This might be the first time I've been firmly behind Reza Aslan in a "debate".

That was hilarious!

Looks like Fox succeeded in getting it taken down.

Oops, never mind. Looks like it was a local issue.

I like how he asks her to let him finish but is like, "Bitch, ho, shut the fuck up! You can't speak...please..." He is so nice about talking over her its kind of sickening.

Jeeez, where did they find this vapid anchor? Oh wait...Nevermind-The same university that created a self-righteous academic (perhaps of the ilk who insists to be addressed as "doctor") handed a piece of a sheep to that other herd creature.

Jesus wept

That man's patience is heroic.

Anyone questioning whether online media matters now has an answer.

spirited debate my ass. That's an insult to debate. What we have here is a smart person schooling an idiot hard.

I dunno. I can kinda get behind her idea.

Yeah, at first glance it seems ridiculous, but you're not looking at the big picture!

If Muslims aren't allowed to write about Christianity, then Christians aren't allowed to write about science. It gets even better:

- creationists cannot write about evolution
- homeopaths cannot write about medicine
- republicans cannot write about government
- and psychics cannot write about fucking anything

*related=http://videosift.com/video/Zealot-Daily-Show-talks-to-Reza

If you wanna actually hear him talk about his book. The extended bits are spectacular.

Zealot: Daily Show talks to Reza has been added as a related post - related requested by bareboards2.

So, a 10-minute interview with an author about his new book, and... not a word on the book.

I think we're giving her too much credit for doing anything more than reading a pre-written auto-cue

Well, this interview was successful in making me want to read his book.

I don't plan to read his book, mostly because I would probably find the subject to be boring in general. But what strikes me as odd is how critical the evangelicals are of this book, but based on how he described Jesus in the interviews I've seen. It's a generally flattering description of him is it not? In the interviews I've seen he's painted Jesus as a strong revolutionary against Roman tyranny. Is that not a more or less positive characterization of Jesus?

Or is Reza more critical of Jesus in the book?

Or is it just the fact that he focuses on the historical context instead of the biblical one enough to piss off the fanatics?

Or is it just that Reza is a Muslim period...doesn't matter if the critique is positive or negative?

Somewhat ironic: Aslan is Turkish for Lion, and is also the name of the Lion in C. S Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, a character who represents Jesus, at least in parts. COINCIDENCE? probably. but still!

I think the outrage is not that it paints Jesus poorly, but that the implication is that he is "merely" an extraordinary man rather than the Son of God and our Saviour. You know, kinda like how calling a stick figure Muhammad somehow diminishes his glory.

VoodooV, he's Muslim therefore he's anti-Christian and anti-American and so he's biased.

It's hardly surprising, as that's what Fox News is. They're "Christian" (I doubt they've read much more of the Bible than they've read his book) and they think have a biased all-are-enemy view of Muslims and the Middle East, IMHO. It probably doesn't occur to them that other people see the world differently.

That's what's happening here. Person/organisation of religion A blindingly accusing person of religion B of being anti-A, for no other reason that person of religion A is blatantly anti-B. Fox are doing what they're accusing him of.

*dead (Removed by user)

This video has been declared non-functional; embed code must be fixed within 2 days or it will be sent to the dead pool - declared dead by davidraine.

Thank you. Fixed.

Top Five Times Fox News Is Debunked "On Air" by a Guest has been added as a related post - related requested by Zawash on that post.