Reza Aslan quotes - page 2

Islam doesn't promote violence or peace. Islam is just a religion, and like every religion in the world, it depends on what you bring to it. If you're a violent person, your Islam, your Judaism, your Christianity, your Hinduism, is going to be violent. (Reza Aslan)
Religion is, by definition, interpretation; and by definition, all interpretations are valid. However, some interpretations are more reasonable than others. View quote
Reza Aslan
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. View quote
Reza Aslan
Over the last few years, the Islamic world has produced more female presidents and prime ministers than both Europe and North America combined. View quote
Reza Aslan
As with all journeys, the Way has an end, though it should not be imagined as a straight road leading to a fixed destination but rather as a majestic mountain whose peak conceals the presence of God. There are, of course, many paths to the summit-some better than others. But because every path eventually leads to the same destination, which path one takes is irrelevant. View quote
Reza Aslan
[Islam] is the dynamic conviction that a person's spiritual and worldly responsibilities are one and the same, that an individuals duty to the community is indistinguishable from his or her duty to God. View quote
Reza Aslan
We have to remember that the United States has certain principles, certain values that bind us all together, that make us all American. And if we allow those values, those rights to be rescinded for one group of individuals, then we are essentially opening the door to having all of our rights, all of our privileges rescinded. View quote
Reza Aslan
I really believe that to have a full impression of Jesus, both as Christ as a man, you must know about the world that gave shape to him - the world out of which he arose. View quote
Reza Aslan
Even the Quran, which Sufis respect as the direct speech of God, lacks the capacity to shed light upon God's essence. As one Sufi master has argued, why spend time reading a love letter (by which he means the Quran) in the presence of the Beloved who wrote it? View quote
Reza Aslan
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. View quote
Reza Aslan
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. (Reza Aslan)
The idea of literalism in the Bible is a very new phenomenon. In many ways, it's a product of the scientific revolution. View quote
Reza Aslan
It is no exaggeration to say that Syria holds the key for nearly all of Americas foreign policy goals in the Middle East. As Syria goes, so goes the region. View quote
Reza Aslan
Is it possible that Jesus, unlike 98 percent of his fellow Jews, was literate and educated? Yes, it's possible. View quote
Reza Aslan
The Islamic Reformation is already here. We are all living in it. View quote
Reza Aslan