welcome to the David Pakman show it is very very good to be back up the
you we're back this is a new show is not a repeat unless we're using this show
at some future point as a repeat but at least today Monday July 29th this is a
new show
it is not a repeat I happened to get
it's just like when you I don't even know what to compare it to but
I arrived back from my trip in all have stories later in the show
and I have 10 or 15 emails from people saying
you've got a sea res a as lens interview on Fox News talking about his book
zelik the life and times of Jesus if nafta it Nazaret
it's amazing resin as land for people who'd
don't know is Iranian he I
is Muslim he was once a question and he is though he isn't an academic he is an
expert he is a scholar
%uh religion above many religions he has written about
judy is that he has written about Christianity he has written about
Islam he is really a scholar %uh
religion at I mean I don't know why I would say
colloquially at close to the highest level
and Fox News decided to have a mine and they want to talk about his book like I
said sell it the life and times of Jesus
Naz Naz earth and the book talks about dispelling some of the myths and
falsehoods
surrounding Jesus's life not particularly
from the Muslim point of view not particularly from the jewish point of
view or atheist point of view
just as an academic just as a scholar of religion
box news doesn't seem to really get that
and we're gonna play clip for you here and
Fox News simply cannot understand that Raza as lynn has written a book
because he is an expert in this field not because he happens to be a Muslim
and is giving a Muslim view on Jesus let's take a look at clip number one
or rest as one was a question but converted back to the faith of his
forefathers
Islam he has not written a book about Jesus the book has become controversial
as it calls into question some other core tenets up Christianity
at the book is called a zealot the life and times of Jesus have now as rip and
residents me
now from los angeles welcome thank you for having me
well this is an interesting book now I want think where you're a Muslim so why
did you write a book about the founder of Christianity
well to be clear I am a scholar
religions with four degrees including one in the New Testament
and fluency in biblical Greek who has been studying the origins of
Christianity
for two decades who also just happens to be a Muslim
so it's not that I'm just some Muslim writing about Jesus
I am in expert with a PhD in the history of religions so
as you can see Lewis resin Azlan is
only being seen on Fox News as a Muslim and how could a Muslim possibly know
anything
actually factual about Christianity this is
even should the shocks me even for Fox News the shocks me i watch the whole
interview
this was clearly just set up as an attack
the the person the one giving the interview has no concept of what's in
the book
has no clue that this is supposed to be an historical account
up the life Jesus and just breeds of quotes from radical Christians
who who are want to insult this man I
because he is a Muslim and it continues and continues here's another clip clip
number two
and it's just more the same she just can't understand it or
or at least has to play the role of someone who just can't understand it
take a look
this it still begs the question why would you be interested in the founder
of Christianity
because it's my job as an academic
I am a professor of religion including the New Testament
that's what I do for a living actually
so I mean it it would be like asking a question why they would write a book
about a you know the Islam I'm and I'm not sure about that so there it is I
mean what what if a white guy wrote a book about Martin Luther King right
could a white guy really study Martin Luther King
objectively i mean Martin Luther King was black and he dealt with grace
white people couldn't possibly right books that are
historical accounts academic analyses
a Martin Luther King it's a complete double standard
and by the way we know it's a double standard because when Bernie Goldberg
bernard goldberg I don't know what name he uses now just a
just to give one example when bernard goldberg
goes on the Bill O'Reilly show in talks about how there's a war on Christmas and
Bernard Goldberg is jewish
does anyone say wait a second Bernie Bernie
you're jewish you're talking about the war on Christmas are you a little biased
let's only focus on you being jewish
it doesn't happen Louis because we know that this is just a Muslim thing
this is only a Muslim's talking about Christians thing and it's completely
pathetic an absurd
right they they like to cherry pick n because
this book happens to you dispute some things that are
in the Bible the New Testament they think bad automatically this is some
attack on their religion because it was written by a Muslim
they just don't understand it that really has nothing to do with why he
wrote this book and she just can't get it through her pics call
res a actually starts talking the way you talk to like a little kid who can't
ok understand anything but he's not doing it in like a condescending way
like a sarcastic way
he literally just trying to communicate just the most basic facts about who he
is
and his qualifications and he says I'm an expert with a PHD
and she's reacting like he saying I'm al Qaeda that's the reaction that
that we're seeing be with the continued questioning and what's happening is that
a lot of people can't see even and what we see here really what we're seeing
here Lewis is that
people can understand the concept of religion as a human history and
the ability to study it right we study the Revolutionary War
for example and we can study the history %uh
religion in the same way and and and do dishes no getting through
like he said her thick skull that resident is
is a PhD he is an expert in this field
I don't think there was going to be anything he was able to say to convince
her or at least together to drop the
act which maybe producers told her to put on here
on and its is absolutely one of the most embarrassing
clips I've ever seen from the point of view of a Fox News interview
I don't really care yeah I had lost there we we we can only hope that
that the viewers understood what he was saying it had made that connection