In an effort to paint himself as an expert on the influence of religion in the Middle East and, frankly, everywhere else, Reza “religion has nothing to do with it” Aslan hasn’t been exactly honest about his academic background:

Among the Islamists and supporters of Sharia law, there is one individual in particular who has been capable of making money by misrepresenting himself and his credentials: the tireless self-promoter, Reza Aslan. After 9/11, Reza Aslan found the environment ripe in the United States to make profits by exaggerating and fabricating his qualifications. First of all, Reza Aslan has continuously presented himself as a professor of religion. This is done in an attempt to sell his few books, which lack academic and credible references. In one of his recent interviews, Aslan claims, “I am a scholar of religions with four degrees including one in the New Testament . . . I am an expert with a Ph.D. in the history of religions . . . I am a professor of religions, including the New Testament – that’s what I do for a living, actually . . . To be clear, I want to emphasize one more time, I am a historian, I am a Ph.D. in the history of religions.” Aslan also recently said on Twitter, “I have a BA, MA and PhD in the history of Western Religions so yes, again, I am an ACTUAL expert in Judaism.” In actuality, Reza Aslan is not a “professor of religion,” and what he claims he does “for a living” is an outrageous inaccuracy. Reza Aslan is an associate professor in the Creative Writing program at the University of California, Riverside. He teaches there based on his Master of Fine Arts degree in fiction from Iowa, his relevant academic credential. In addition, Reza Aslan received his PhD in sociology – not “History of Religions” – from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2009.

Like he so often says of the horrors committed in the name of Islam, it seems Aslan’s credentials have “nothing to do with religion” (well, he’s definitely not a historian and he definitely isn’t a professor of religion for a living). It seems Aslan and CJ Werleman were meant for each other.

Of course this wouldn’t mean much if Aslan’s arguments stood on their own, which they don’t. This is probably why Aslan feels compelled to bolster himself in whatever way possible, even ways that don’t necessarily bear allegiance to the truth.

If you need an example of Rezlan slinging his “credentials” around, here you go: