Reza Aslan: No "Clash of Civilizations"

Reza Aslan at The Commonwealth Club, where he discussed Iranian-American identity and politics with journalist Jonathan Curiel on September 1. (Photo by Beth Byrne.)

Despite the high levels of religious identification by Americans, this country remains quite ignorant about -- and sometimes fearful of -- minority religions, especially Islam, scholar Reza Aslan told The Commonwealth Club last night. During a conversation with journalist Jonathan Curiel, Aslan said that someday, Americans will accept Muslims the same way they think of Catholics; but when John F. Kennedy was running for president in 1960, he had to face public skepticism about whether his Roman Catholicism would entail him being more loyal to the Vatican than to the United States. Today, that accusation sounds laughable.

That attitude (and the hope embedded in it) are a good summary of Aslan's attitude toward the world's conflicts and the various intersections of religion and politics around the globe. In short, he said there is no "clash of civilizations," to use the phrase popularized by historian Samuel Huntington; he argued instead that the chief source of mistrust and misunderstanding was religious.

For a thoughtful and extensive overview of Aslan's program, read The Majlis report by Evan Hill.

For more about the Iranian-American experience, you might want to attend the upcoming event with popular author Firoozeh Dumas, who returns to The Club September 10. There's more event information here.

And on October 28, Haleh Esfandiari, founder and director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Middle East Program, will discuss her time as a prisoner in Iran (a story she wrote about in her book, My Prison, My Home: One Woman's Story of Captivity in Iran). More on her event information here.

Iran Back in the Headlines

In the video above, the UK's Channel 4 News reports on the past couple days' developments in the fascinating struggle going on in Iran over its recent presidential election. As you can see from the video, news is getting out of that country, despite strict controls the government there placed on foreign journalists after the election (such as forbidding them from leaving their office to report or photograph demonstrations).

It is obviously far too early to know where this will all head. While people hope for a peaceful outcome, the power lies in the hands of ideological religious militias and an unelected clerical leadership. Still, the reports are interesting to watch.

While you await more complete reports on the goings-on in Iran, after (one hopes) the journalistic restrictions are rescinded, you might want to view some of these videos of Commonwealth Club speakers who talk about Iran, its people, culture, politics, military, and more.

First, author and journalist Azadeh Moaveni has lived and reported in Tehran since 1999, and she spoke February 25, 2009, about private life in Iran.



Author and former CIA agent Robert Baer (the man on whom George Clooney's character was based in the movie Siriana) spoke about "Iran's Grip on America's Future" in a November 5, 2008, speech to The Club:



Iranian-born author Firoozeh Dumas talked about her life as an Iranian-American during a May 8, 2008, Club appearance:



And there are many more. Watch travel writer Rick Steves discuss his recent trip to meet the people of Iran. Abbas Milani and Barbara Slavin peeked inside Iran.

Firoozeh Dumas in the News

Firoozeh Dumas does not seem to be a controversial person. The Iranian-born, Southern California-raised author (Funny in Farsi, Laughing Without an Accent>) specializes in humorous and touching stories about her childhood, youth, and her extended family (but especially her parents). So why did someone make bomb threats at a book discussion she held at a California University?

On March 24, Dumas spoke about her books at the University of Southern California. Her talk followed the screening of the animated film, "Persepolis," which is based on a graphic novel about an independent girl's upbringing in Iran after the revolution. The events were subjected to increased security, including searches and scans of attendees, according to the USC student newspaper, the Daily Trojan. Luckily, the evening took place as planned.

The Trojan reports that the police didn't know anything specific about the threats, which apparently weren't aimed at any specific individual or building. Was it someone who was upset that two Iran-themed events took place on the campus? Or was it someone who was upset that the two events both featured independent Iranian (or Iranian-American) women?

We may never know the answer to that. But we will be hearing more about Dumas' family, thanks to ABC TV. A situation comedy pilot is in the works for that network; if it passes muster, a regular series will be in our future.

Until that time, you can get a taste of Dumas' humor and her message by watching the video below. Dumas spoke to The Commonwealth Club's Silicon Valley audiences on May 5, 2008, about the "Adventures of an Iranian American."

Dumas also moderated the audience question and answer session at the end of travel host Rick Steves' January 26, 2009, Commonwealth Club program about his recent travel to Iran. You can see that video here.