dr. reza aslan. dr. aslan is a internationally reknowned writer, scholar, producer, commentator and his number one best-seller book last year called, "zealot," the life and times of jesus of nazareth, caused a lot of conversation in the public sphere about religion. it was translated in over a dozen languages around the world. he is a recipient of the prestigious james joyce w award. he serves as a professor of creative writing at uc-riverside, and holds a phd in p sociology of religion fromc santa barbara. personally i am a fan of the work he has done but boom gen studios which is a production company focused largely on contentt and of the middle east. one of my favorite documentaries was produced by boom gen studios, you saw it, called the square, the early days of the arab spring. reza aslan is one of the most important and prolific voices on religion in the public sphere in our time today. please join me in welcoming dr. reza aslan. [applause] >> thank you. thank you, everyone. thank you, thank you,