Reza Aslan – A well-known and highly-respected academic and TV presenter, whose latest documentary series, Believer, has caused quite a stir.
In the first episode, aired by CNN, Aslan visits the Aghori tribe, a nomadic religious sect who practice Hinduism in India. Although the Aghori tribe pray to Hindu deity Shiva, they reject many aspects of Hinduism and practice a range of ceremonies, including cannibalism. Believer looks at unexplored religious sects around the world, and their place in modern society.
During the first episode, Aslan is encouraged to partake in one of their cannibalistic ceremonies, where the individual is required to eat a piece of human brain. This shocked many viewers, and some took to Twitter to discuss the divisive documentary.
As well as consuming a piece of human brain, Aslan also drank wine from a human skull. He later posted on Facebook: “Want to know what a dead guy’s brain tastes like? Charcoal. It was burnt to a crisp!”
Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, from Hawaii, is Hindu and was outraged by the episode. She argued that by showing an extremist sect of the religion, the documentary is sensationalising Hindu rituals which aren’t practised by the majority of Hindu followers. Gabbard explained her argument on Twitter, which quickly went viral.
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