Reza Aslan, a well-known religious scholar, best-selling author, media commentator and doctoral degree candidate, will be one of two featured speakers at a University of Colorado at 麻豆影院 event that will explore the current state of affairs in the Middle East and changes within the Islamic faith.
CU-麻豆影院's Cultural Events Board will present Aslan and MTV news anchor Gideon Yago at a talk titled "Islam: Progression? Regression? You Decide." The talk, which event planners describe as "an evening of insight, debate and exploration," will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14, in the Glenn Miller Ballroom at the University Memorial Center, or UMC.
Ballroom doors will open at 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets must be picked up at the UMC Connection on the first floor of the UMC. Organizers said audience members would not be allowed to carry signs and that flash photography would be allowed only during the first 10 minutes of speech.
"Bringing these two vibrant minds together will have a profound impact on the audience both theoretically and practically," said Cultural Events Board organizer Shelby Myers. "Aslan, the erudite scholar, and Yago, the world-traversed reporter, will come together in a dialogue that will examine Islam and the entire Middle East from within, as well as the forces and pressures that are shaping it from the outside."
Aslan is a frequent commentator on National Public Radio's "Marketplace," and is the Middle East analyst for CBS News. He also appears regularly on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and the "Colbert Report."
Currently a doctoral candidate in the University of California-Santa Barbara's sociology of religion department, Aslan is the author of the critically acclaimed "No God but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam," in which he writes of dynamic changes occurring within the Islamic faith as believers attempt to reconcile traditional beliefs with the fast-paced secular world.
Yago is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and MTV news correspondent who has covered a wide range of political topics, from hate crimes to political campaigns. He began his career at MTV by covering the 2000 presidential election following his graduation from Columbia University. He has attracted attention for his bilateral coverage of warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For more information about the CU-麻豆影院 Cultural Events Board, visit