America's Good / Evil Mentality - Reza Aslan

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/05/15/Reza_Aslan_How_to_Win_a_Cosmic_War

Reza Aslan, religious scholar and author of How to Win a Cosmic War, and Phil Bronstein, editor-at-large for the San Francisco Chronicle, discuss the American cultural obsession with the conflict between good versus evil. The notion that "our wars are god's wars" is a "deep aspect of our national character," says Aslan. "As a nation of immigrants, we are not a country that can define our nationality according to ethnicity."

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FORA.tv Studios and Whole Earth Films present Reza Aslan, scholar and acclaimed author of No God But God, speaking to Phil Bronstein, editor-at-large for the San Francisco Chronicle, about his new book How to Win a Cosmic War.

How to Win a Cosmic War provides both an in-depth study of the ideology behind al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and like-minded militants throughout the Muslim world, and an exploration of the tradition of religious violence found in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Surveying the global scene from Israel to Iraq and from New York to the Netherlands, Aslan argues that religion is a stronger force today than it has been in a century. At a time when religion and politics are increasingly sharing the same vocabulary and functioning in the same sphere, Aslan writes that we must strip this ideological conflict of its religious connotations and address the actual grievances that fuel the Jihadist movement.

How do you win a cosmic war? By refusing to fight in one.

Reza Aslan is a writer and scholar of religions. Born in Iran, Aslan is currently a research associate at the University of Southern California's Center on Public Diplomacy. He was a visiting assistant professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Iowa and the Truman Capote Fellow in Fiction at the Iowa Writer's Workshop. A frequent commentator on television, radio, and in print, Aslan is a graduate of Santa Clara University, Harvard University, and the University of Iowa. He is the author of No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam and How to Win a Cosmic War: Why We're Losing the War on Terror.

Phil Bronstein is the Executive Vice President and Editor at Large of the San Francisco Chronicle.

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[ooshgasm]

@dave13sci While that is a valid viewpoint you should think about this: If one police station somewhere is found to be corrupt and abuses the law do you not support any police? Because it's the same principle. DOn't support those troops that do do these terrible actions but a lot of soldiers are patriots and do a lot to help people overseas and at home. I've visited all over the world and the good that USA and NATO soldiers do is wonderful.

[Neosaigo]

It is not just in the U.S. There are too many people who believe in good and evil in the world.

Good and evil are for 8 year olds who can't comprehend that both sides in a war are neither good nor evil. Both sides like to call themselves good, and the their enemy evil.

If someone believe in good and evil, I suggest they grow up already.

[CFL0LSmilyFace]

@Neeparr Aww that sucks bro :(

I've met a lot of ignorant people as well, but I've met a lot more amazing people. I've spent time knowing them and they're incredible. They make me forget about those ignorant ones.

[Neeparr]

@CFL0LSmilyFace: Actually, on the contrary, as I study and work in a university, I do get to see a lot of them....so, as a foreigner my first impression was very very positive....but then as, I started to go outside of the academia I started to encounter quite a bit of ignorance....could be that I was unlucky.!

So, I sure hope you are right.... you do have a great country....hope it stays that way!

[CFL0LSmilyFace]

@Neeparr The US has a lot of people like him...I really mean a lot...but you only see the idiots :/

[preemptivestrike20]

@Energyium And your Youtube violations and breaking of the rules apparently killed your youtube account. LOL, silly Islamic apologist.

[lollalot]

Religion might not suck but the Churches that propagate it mostly do. They all force you to believe in the craziest things and make you fear 'punishment'.

I'm sorry but if they want me to believe in a guy that made the whole universe and us included in 6 days and then took a nap on the 7th without explaining where he came from himself I might as well believe in a guy called Xenu who flew to Earth on a DC8 throwing "Thetans" into volcanoes and bombing them with Hydrogen bombs.

[Yagmai1]

he is hot :D

[Neeparr]

@RonnieInOC : US of A needs more people like you.