Washington, D.C. - Reza Aslan author of the highly praised “No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and the Future of Islam,” gave a spirited dinner lecture at Au Pied Bistro in Georgetown Sunday. A Doctoral Candidate in History of Religions at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and – for the pop culture-savvy – former guest of The Daily Show with John Stewart, Aslan bursts with enthusiasm and has the ability to convey ideas eloquently on an issue that leaves most Americans uncomfortably silent. The issue at hand is Islam, and, more specifically, the future of this; or, as Aslan puts it, its evolutionary “reformation.”
The sold out event was an essential part of NIAC’s mission to encourage Iranian Americans to “proactively present their image on their own terms.” Esteemed scholar and director of the Center for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park Dr. Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak served as a friendly foil to Aslan as the evening’s discussant.
Islam, according to Aslan, is a faith that is particularly conducive to interpretation because it is unencumbered by a ridged hierarchy in the form of theocratic institutions. “Islam is what Muslims say Islam is. It is not a creedal faith. Unlike the Catholic Church, there is no Muslim that speaks for God,” Aslan argued.