Bücher von Reza Aslan

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *; ';A lucid, intelligent page-turner' (Los Angeles Times) that challenges long-held assumptions about Jesus, from the host of Believer Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish what he called the ';Kingdom of God.' The revolutionary movement he launched was so threatening to the established order that he was executed as a state criminal. Within decades after his death, his followers would call him God. Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history's most enigmatic figures by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which he lived. Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against the historical sources, Aslan describes a man full of conviction and passion, yet rife with contradiction. He explores the reasons the early Christian church preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary. And he grapples with the riddle of how Jesus understood himself, the mystery that is at the heart of all subsequent claims about his divinity. Zealot yields a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories ever told even as it affirms the radical and transformative nature of Jesus' life and mission. Praise for Zealot ';Riveting . . . Aslan synthesizes Scripture and scholarship to create an original account.'The New Yorker ';Fascinatingly and convincingly drawn . . . Aslan may come as close as one can to respecting those who revere Jesus as the peace-loving, turn-the-other-cheek, true son of God depicted in modern Christianity, even as he knocks down that image.'The Seattle Times ';[Aslan's] literary talent is as essential to the effect of Zealot as are his scholarly and journalistic chops. . . . A vivid, persuasive portrait.'Salon ';This tough-minded, deeply political book does full justice to the real Jesus, and honors him in the process.'San Francisco Chronicle ';A special and revealing work, one that believer and skeptic alike will find surprising, engaging, and original.'Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power ';Compulsively readable . . . This superb work is highly recommended.'Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Reza Aslan erzählt in diesem brillant geschriebenen Buch die Geschichte des muslimischen Glaubens vom Propheten Mohammed bis zur Gegenwart. Dabei gelingt es ihm meisterhaft, den Leser von der ersten Seite an zu fesseln. Treffende Geschichten, Beispiele und Portraits vermitteln einen höchst lebendigen Eindruck von der ersten muslimischen Gemeinde in Medina, den Rivalitäten zwischen Sunniten und Schiiten oder der islamischen Mystik. Aber das Buch ist mehr als ein anschaulicher historischer Überblick: Aslan erklärt, warum der Islam gegenwärtig zwischen Traditionalisten und Reformern gespalten ist, und tritt für eine islamische Aufklärung ein.

«Ich bin nicht gekommen, Frieden zu bringen, sondern das Schwert.» (Mt 10,34)Das Christentum verehrt Jesus von Nazaret als sanften Hirten, dessen Reich nicht von dieser Welt sei. Aber entspricht dieses Bild der historischen Realität? Kann es den grausamen Kreuzestod plausibel erklären? Der amerikanische Religionswissenschaftler Reza Aslan meint: nein. Sein Buch, das in den USA für einen Skandal sorgte, versucht zu ergründen, wer Jesus war, bevor es das Christentum gab. Es ist das fesselnde, brillant erzählte Porträt eines Mannes voller Widersprüche, einer Epoche voll religiöser Inbrunst und blutiger Kämpfe und einer Weltreligion im Werden. «Reza Aslans Buch ist in jedem Fall großartig.»Die Welt«Aslan zeigt, dass Religionsgeschichte unterhaltend sein kann. ... Er spricht aus, was vielen Theologen unaussprechlich ist.»Die Zeit

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • "A lucid, intelligent page-turner" (Los Angeles Times) that challenges long-held assumptions about Jesus, from the host of Believer Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish what he called the "Kingdom of God." The revolutionary movement he launched was so threatening to the established order that he was executed as a state criminal. Within decades after his death, his followers would call him God. Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history's most enigmatic figures by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which he lived. Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against the historical sources, Aslan describes a man full of conviction and passion, yet rife with contradiction. He explores the reasons the early Christian church preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary. And he grapples with the riddle of how Jesus understood himself, the mystery that is at the heart of all subsequent claims about his divinity. Zealot yields a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories ever told even as it affirms the radical and transformative nature of Jesus' life and mission. Praise for Zealot "Riveting . . . Aslan synthesizes Scripture and scholarship to create an original account."-The New Yorker "Fascinatingly and convincingly drawn . . . Aslan may come as close as one can to respecting those who revere Jesus as the peace-loving, turn-the-other-cheek, true son of God depicted in modern Christianity, even as he knocks down that image."-The Seattle Times "[Aslan's] literary talent is as essential to the effect of Zealot as are his scholarly and journalistic chops. . . . A vivid, persuasive portrait."-Salon "This tough-minded, deeply political book does full justice to the real Jesus, and honors him in the process."-San Francisco Chronicle "A special and revealing work, one that believer and skeptic alike will find surprising, engaging, and original."-Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power "Compulsively readable . . . This superb work is highly recommended."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Little known in America but venerated as a martyr in Iran, Howard Baskerville was a twenty-two-year-old Christian missionary from South Dakota who traveled to Persia (modern-day Iran) in 1907 for a two-year stint teaching English and preaching the gospel. He arrived in the midst of a democratic revolution-the first of its kind in the Middle East-led by a group of brilliant young firebrands committed to transforming their country into a fully self-determining, constitutional monarchy, one with free elections and an independent parliament.The Persian students Baskerville educated in English in turn educated him about their struggle for democracy, ultimately inspiring him to leave his teaching post and join them in their fight against a tyrannical shah and his British and Russian backers. "The only difference between me and these people is the place of my birth," Baskerville declared, "and that is not a big difference."In 1909, Baskerville was killed in battle alongside his students, but his martyrdom spurred on the revolutionaries who succeeded in removing the shah from power, signing a new constitution, and rebuilding parliament in Tehran. To this day, Baskerville's tomb in the city of Tabriz remains a place of pilgrimage. Every year, thousands of Iranians visit his grave to honor the American who gave his life for Iran.In this rip-roaring tale of his life and death, Aslan gives us a powerful parable about the universal ideals of democracy-and to what degree Americans are willing to support those ideals in a foreign land. Woven throughout is an essential history of the nation we now know as Iran-frequently demonized and misunderstood in the West. Indeed, Baskerville's life and death represent a "road not taken" in Iran. Baskerville's story, like his life, is at the center of a whirlwind in which Americans must ask themselves: How seriously do we take our ideals of constitutional democracy and whose freedom do we support?

A fascinating, accessible introduction to Islam from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Zealot and host ofBelieverFINALIST FOR THEGUARDIAN FIRST BOOK AWARDIn No god but God, internationally acclaimed scholar Reza Aslan explains Islamthe origins and evolution of the faithin all its beauty and complexity. This updated edition addresses the events of the past decade, analyzing how they have influenced Islam's position in modern culture. Aslan explores what the popular demonstrations pushing for democracy in the Middle East mean for the future of Islam in the region, how the Internet and social media have affected Islam's evolution, and how the war on terror has altered the geopolitical balance of power in the Middle East. He also provides an update on the contemporary Muslim women's movement, a discussion of the controversy over veiling in Europe, an in-depth history of Jihadism, and a look at how Muslims living in North America and Europe are changing the face of Islam. Timely and persuasive, No god but God is an elegantly written account that explains this magnificent yet misunderstood faith.Praise for No god but God ';Grippingly narrated and thoughtfully examined . . . a literate, accessible introduction to Islam.'The New York Times ';[Reza] Aslan offers an invaluable introduction to the forces that have shaped Islam [in this] eloquent, erudite paean to Islam in all of its complicated glory.'Los Angeles Times Book Review ';Wise and passionate . . . an incisive, scholarly primer in Muslim history and an engaging personal exploration.'The New York Times Book Review ';Acutely perceptive . . . For many troubled Muslims, this book will feel like a revelation, an opening up of knowledge too long buried.'The Independent (U.K.) ';Thoroughly engaging and excellently written . . . While [Aslan] might claim to be a mere scholar of the Islamic Reformation, he is also one of its most articulate advocates.'The Oregonian