Reza Aslan

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El ayatolá está desnudo

Las protestas que se han desatado en todo Irán en defensa de los derechos de las mujeres y contra los abusos de la policía moral religiosa han vuelto a echar luz sobre la clerecía gobernante y sobre los poderes aparentemente ilimitados del líder supremo, el ayatolá Alí Jamenei.

La República Islámica de Irán tiene un sistema de gobierno en dos niveles. El primer nivel, representación visible de la soberanía popular, incluye un presidente que ejerce el poder ejecutivo dentro de un estado altamente centralizado, un parlamento encargado de crear y debatir leyes, y un sistema judicial que las puede vetar e interpretar.…  Seguir leyendo »

My family left Tehran in 1979, in the aftermath of the revolution that created the Islamic Republic of Iran. We arrived in the United States with nothing but a single suitcase each, assuming this would be only temporary. Once things settled down, we would surely be returning to our lives back in Iran.

That was 36 years ago.

Today, I am one of nearly a half million Iranians who live in Southern California, the largest population of Iranians anywhere in the world outside of Iran. In fact, there are so many Iranians in Los Angeles that we’ve named it “Tehrangeles.” Almost a quarter of the population of Beverly Hills alone is Iranian, including a former mayor.…  Seguir leyendo »

The tragic murder of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau -- "a recent convert to Islam" as every media outlet in the United States would like to remind you -- has added fuel to the already fiery debate in this country over the inherently violent nature of religion in general, and Islam in particular.

It seems that, in the minds of many, the only possible reason a Muslim convert would go on a shooting spree in the Canadian Parliament is because his religious beliefs commanded him to do so.

Of course, it could very well be the case that Zehaf-Bibeau was motivated by his Islamic beliefs.…  Seguir leyendo »

Later this month, the Palestinian Authority intends to go before the United Nations to request recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Although there is strong backing for the bid, the United States, in the name of supporting Israel, has stated its willingness to use its Security Council veto power to keep the Palestinians from joining the U.N. as a full voting member. The U.S. has also refused to join in a more symbolic General Assembly vote that could change the Palestinians' status from a "nonvoting observer entity" to a "nonvoting observer state."

Here are five reasons why the U.S. should support the Palestinian bid and not exercise its veto at the U.N.…  Seguir leyendo »

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington, purportedly to be part of the Obama administration’s relaunch of peace negotiations. But the urgent talk is of war, thanks to Jeffrey Goldberg’s much-discussed Atlantic Monthly cover article, which faithfully reproduced the logic of Israeli military and political leaders.

According to this, even Israelis who doubt that a nuclear Iran would immediately attack Tel Aviv argue that the threat is “existential.” An Iranian bomb would provide a “nuclear umbrella” for Hezbollah missiles and Hamas terrorism. It would force the Gulf states to ally with Iran against the United States and its cornered ally.…  Seguir leyendo »

Los miembros del Grupo de Estudio sobre Irak (GEI) han causado bastante revuelo en Washington al insinuar que el triunfo en Irak quizá sea imposible de conseguir sin la ayuda de los vecinos de ese país, en especial Siria e Irán. Los detractores del GEI afirman que quizá sería posible convencer a Siria de que se uniera a la campaña norteamericana para estabilizar Irak, pero, ¿por qué iba a ayudar Irán a Estados Unidos? Al fin y al cabo, como señalaba el senador por Connecticut Joe Lieberman cuando se publicó el informe, "Irán tiene unos intereses en Irak directamente opuestos a los nuestros".…  Seguir leyendo »