Reza Aslan

Author of No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam

Ten Years Later: Fighting Islamophobia and Understanding Muslims

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THE LATEST: Watch Reza Aslan's talk at TEDxConejo, "Unity in Diversity", HERE.

With few peers, Reza Aslan addresses the topic of Islam, the Middle East, and Muslim Americans with authority, wit, and an infectious optimism. When he talks about modern Islam, the religion and politics of the Middle East, or the rise of a sophisticated Muslim middle class, audiences listen. His talks entertain, but never at the expense of complexity or nuance. Aslan speaks for a generation of Muslims who eschew the fundamentalist stereotype and want to usher in a new era of Islamic democracy. Extremism is winding down, he says, yet media coverage suggests the opposite. As a bestselling author and entrepreneur, Aslan has made extraordinary efforts to show Americans the true face of Islam today: a generation of change makers in America and abroad, who are solidifying relations with the West while making their own hopeful marks on the world.

Reza Aslan is the author of the international bestseller No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, which has been named by Blackwell Publishers as one of the 100 most important books of the last decade. It's now available in thirteen languages, and was recently re-released, with new content, to coincide with the tenth anniversary of 9/11. He is also the author of How to Win a Cosmic War, a contributing editor to The Daily Beast, and a member of many prominent foreign relations and policy councils. He is also the editor of Tablet and Pen, a literary anthology that uses the arts to bridge the gap of understanding between East and West. Aslan appears regularly in the media, on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report among other high profile outlets. In the corporate realm, Aslan is President and CEO of Aslan Media Inc., which runs BoomGen Studios, a unique media company focused entirely on entertainment about the Greater Middle East and its Diaspora communities. He has degrees in Religion from Santa Clara University, Harvard, and UC Santa Barbara, as well as a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa, where he was named the Truman Capote Fellow in Fiction.

Reza Aslan Speech Topics

Youth Revolt: The Future of the New Middle East

A drastic shift is taking place in the Middle East. A new generation of youth is clamoring for their rights and freedoms—and they drastically outnumber their elders. 75% of the population of the Middle East is under the age of 35 and 50% is under the age of 25. Young, educated, and politically motivated young people in places like Iran, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria and beyond have a new vision--one that represents their values, not the values of a ruling elite or of the generation that preceded them. In this talk, Reza Aslan reveals the true nature of these historic societal changes, and where it all will lead. What motivates the Muslim youth of today? What will the new Middle East look like? How will these sudden regime changes affect the world's economic and political climate? With unparalleled authority and eloquence, Aslan unravels the complexities of the new Middle East and shows audiences what the future holds for this oft-misunderstood part of the world.

The Next War: Iran, Israel and the US at the Crossroads

As tensions mount between Iran, Israel and the US, the world is marching towards a major crossroads. Reza Aslan goes behind the political rhetoric to give an unbiased look at what is shaping up to be a potential international crisis. How will all of this affect the ordinary citizens of Iran, Israel, the rest of the already-tumultuous Middle East, and citizens in America? With refreshing objectivity, Aslan delivers a no-nonsense guide to the future of this hotly-watched situation.

The Promise and Perils of Social Media (with Jessica Jackley)

Reza Aslan and Jessica Jackley know all about the social web's remarkable ability to build communities and incite social change. As the founder of Aslan Media, which is altering perceptions of the Arab world through traditional and online entertainment, Aslan has traced the impact of social media in the Middle East. As the co-founder of KIVA, the world’s largest microlending website, Jackley has harnessed the power of one-to-one relationships to triumph over bureaucratic lending models. Together, this husband and wife team explains how social media has irrevocably changed the world, and explores the future of online collaboration. How has social media gone from simple news gathering to revolutionizing the concept of community? What changes must our institutions make--from government to business to education--in order to catch up to our new web-based society? And what can an individual do to ensure that social media reaches its full potential as a force for global change?

VIDEOS

LINKS

Reza Aslan - Official Website

BOOKS

No god but God

How to Win a Cosmic War

Tablet and Pen

ARTICLES

The Fire This Time - Los Angeles Review of Books

All Speakers > Reza Aslan

GAYLE LEMMON at TEDxWOMEN

"If you're going to talk about jobs, then you have to talk about entrepreneurs," says Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. "And if you're talking about entrepreneurs in conflict and post-conflict settings, then you must talk about women." Lemmon is the author of the New York Times bestselling book The Dressmaker of Khair Khana and a Contributing Editor-at-Large for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. She has devoted her life to shedding light on the resiliency of female entrepreneurs, and their remarkable power to reshape local economies. By recognizing and investing in these female breadwinners, Lemmon says, we can help grow economies of all development levels around the world.