To believe or not to? Decoding Reza Aslan’s controvertial TV series 'Believer'

It’s been almost two weeks since Iranian-American author/religious scholar/TV presenter Reza Aslan’s TV series Believer aired on CNN amid criticism from the Indian-American community, a week since international news outlets picked up on it, and only a few days since the Indian media finally chanced upon it, now fanning the embers with their own opinions.

For the uninitiated, this much-talked-about episode features the fringe Hindu sect, Aghoris, and shows Aslan roaming the streets of Varanasi, getting ash from a burning pyre rubbed on his face, and eating what looks like fried human brain tissues.   

Sounds like one of those TV shows throwing light on the colonialist’s idea of 16th-century India, right?

The episode was quick to provoke reactions from the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) and Indian-American politicians such as Tulsi Gabbard, Ro Khanna and Raaja Krishnamoorthi.

The US-India Political Action Committee, in its statement, said: “With multiple reports of hate-fuelled attacks against people of Indian origin from across the US, the show characterises Hinduism as cannibalistic, which is a bizarre way of looking at the third largest religion in the world.”

Here, we can recall that since US President Donald Trump began his ‘shenanigans’ at the Oval Office, two Indians have been killed and one injured in hate crimes in the US.

But addressing the concerns of HAF about the repercussions of the episode, founder Suhag A Shukla explained that the main issue with Aslan was the biased representation of a Hindu sect’s indulgence in cannibalism, therefore sensationalising content without representing its flipside, which is, in fact, better accepted than a few thousands practising the former.

The statement read: “Contrast CNN’s Finding Jesus to Believer, airing immediately prior. There, multiple scholars of Christianity were privileged to speak about a religion they practise. In Believer, Aslan instead arrogates for himself the authority to make pronouncements and judgements about a religion of which he is neither a scholar nor a practitioner. He also makes countless errors in his narration about Hindu spirituality and practices.”

A professor of Sociology at Mumbai University, requesting anonymity, said, “There are TV series showcasing different fringe sects in the world, and then there is this. While you showcase the way of living of the Aghoris, you must also make it abundantly clear that this is not a Hindu way of living, and it is what it is — a fringe sect.”

This seemed like an apt time for me to connect with an old American acquaintance and ask for his two-pence. Alistair Brown, an elementary school teacher in Iowa, said, “The issue is that when the TV series is supposed to be informative, it should take all the views into account, which Believer did not do. I will definitely not recommend this for students because they will have a bigoted idea about Hindus.”

Aslan, in his defence, said that he wanted to be an interpreter of religion. Indeed, the show goes onto to end on a lighter note when he shows a clinic run by Aghori believers, but who do not propagate the consumption of human brain tissue or urine or chanting mantras near a burning pyre. In order to break caste stereotypes — the core of the Aghori philosophy — this clinic provides healthcare to all, without distinction.

Though Aslan did not respond to a request for his comment, a friend of mine — journalist Nupur Jha — offered to defend Aslan, as he said, “We are all very touchy people, especially in the age of technology. This issue probably got more attention than it deserved because of social media. Yes, of course, Aslan could have ensured that Hinduism was not unanimous with the Aghoris, but he did show a positive side of it as well — the clinic run by people with a modern take on the Aghoris.”

True. But even he could not deny that the timing was in bad taste. After all, you cannot ignore your responsibility about the repercussions of your interpretations.

According to the CNN, the episode aired on the number two slot on prime-time with over 7,50,000 viewers.

So, I daresay, the damage has already been done. Who is going to explain to so many Americans that the next Hindu applying for a visa there will not force you to drink his/her urine or eat brain tissue? Or perhaps Trump will make the job easier and issue another blanket ban.

(The writer is a freelance journalist vacillating between happy and blah)