Some Amazon Reviewers Really Hate Reza Aslan's 'Zealot'

Reza Aslan's Zealot has become a national sensation ever since he shamed a Fox News reporter who questioned his academic credentials. But she isn't the only one who has a hard time believing that a Muslim scholar could write a book about Jesus.

Reza Aslan could not have hoped for better publicity for his new book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth than a Fox News interview in which host Lauren Green asked the highly respected historian and writing professor at the University of California at Riverside, "You’re a Muslim, so why did you write a book about the founder of Christianity?"

Aslan's calm and lengthy, but ultimately devastating, response to the idiotic question has been celebrated nationwide as an example of how to counter bigotry. Yet, as the Amazon page for Zealot — currently the top selling book on the site — reveals, plenty of readers of what seems to be a fundamentalist/Evangelical persuasion are furious that a Muslim published a book about Christianity's origins.

Of particular ire is the notion that Aslan hides his faith, though, in fact, he points out that he is a Muslim in the opening pages of Zealot. Many of these critics appear to also think that because the work contradicts the New Testament, it is somehow a work of opinion, not history.

Many of these reviews refer to John S. Dickerson's negative take on the book on the Fox News website, though Dickerson has gone on Twitter to urge followers, "Christians pls have #integrity to not write Amazon review on a book unless uv read it."

absolute crap

This book is written by a muslim who is hell bent on destroying the legacy of jesus in favor of his beliefs about muhammad and makes up a bunch of crap and claims to be a historian which he is not. Imagine if a christian wrote a book about muhammad having sexual relations with his 10 year old bride (which he did).

-Pen Name

unimpressed both from a literary and philosophical viewpoint

By the time he got around to his Muslim background I had grown weary... The author strikes me as an Iranian hysteric in search of some religious dogma to quench some personal family problems.

-Conan

A little honesty would be nice

It is too bad this book is being pushed by the secular non-believing nattering nabobs.

-Christopher W. West 

author of lies

This author clearly has an agenda to present. An agenda that if changed to an analysis of Mohammad would earn a Fatwa.

-J. Medsker

Anti-Christ

I would not recommend your book to anyone.

-Joan Smiley

Shocking revelations?

If you believed the fictional writings of the Da Vinci Code this will be an enjoyable read.

-Corey Mayfield

Aslan no historian

Aslan not a historian.

-Aman

The Author is a MUSLIM

This book was written from the perspective of a Muslim. What more needs to be said.

-JoeB

Worthless!

The author doesn't know anything about Jesus. He is a Muslim and not a historian. I highly recommend reading The Holy Bible to find out more about Jesus or the books One God One Message and All That The Prophets Have Spoken, again if you are truly seeking the truth about who Jesus is, why He came and what He did for you.

-Romans 1:16 "Jenny"

Nothing new, just old Islam

When the wolf laughs with the rabbits to discredit the tiger, it's only to eat them over the tiger's corpse.

-M. Bruno

Option for zero stars?

A good book for those seeking truth is Jesus the Messiah by Herbert Bateman. Or better yet, try reading a really good book, the Holy Bible.

-B. Spoon

How about having a ZERO star!

Nothing original! Lies, lies, lies, blah! blah! blah! I will question all that Random House (how ironic their name) publishes from now on and categorizes it as Christian History. The correct category is FICTION!

-iza

Anti-Christian Book Written By a Devout Muslim

This is not a Christian book.

-Alan B. Rogers

UPDATE: The scholar John S. Dickerson was not among those to post an Amazon review, as this post had earlier indicated.