Reza Aslan, the scholar and host of “Believer” on CNN, has come under fire for a scene on his show in which he was pressured to eat human brains while filming a fringe Hindu sect that practices cannibalism in India.
In the scene, Aslan can be seen drinking an alcoholic beverage from a human skull, before eating what he was told was human brain. “They will cover themselves in the ashes of the dead; they will eat rotten corpses,” the voiceover says during the segment.
“Want to know what a dead guy’s brain tastes like? Charcoal. It was burnt to a crisp! #Believer,” he wrote in a promotional post on Facebook page after the episode’s debut.
The Aghori monks of Varanasi are feared throughout India for their beliefs and practices, which are rejected by orthodox Hindus.
Many viewers were shocked not just by the cannibalism: The episode provoked an angry backlash by American Hindus who complained the segment presented an inaccurate portrayal of their religion.
“Reza Aslan is only most recent in long line of leaders, writers, others from the West who actively sought to defame Hinduism,” said @Devendrakgautam on Twitter.
“@rezaalsan you show a tiny sect of 100 to represent ALL HINDUS, well using this stupidity ISIS represents all Muslims,” wrote @Watziitoyya.
Some groups also claimed the program was problematic because it sensationalized some aspects of the faith — the third largest in the world—at a time when people of Indian descent are vulnerable to hate-fueled attacks in the U.S.
Last week, a 39 year-old Sikh man was killed after being allegedly told to “go back to his country.” A week earlier, two Indian engineers were shot by a Kansas man in a similar fashion.
Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu congresswoman to be elected, was one of the most vocal critics of the show. She tweeted: “I am very disturbed that CNN is using its power and influence to increase people’s misunderstanding and fear of Hinduism.”
“Aslan and CNN didn’t just throw a harsh light on a sect of wandering ascetics to create shocking visuals—as if touring a zoo— but repeated false stereotypes about caste, karma and reincarnation that Hindus have been combating tirelessly.”
A Twitter user with the handle @KitHurstClose said “@CNN, @rezaaslan Cannibalism is wrong. End of story. CNN, U have doomed yourself”
Indian journalist Shekar Gupta also denounced what he described as “Indiana Jones journalism,” saying “there’s no secret to ghats & Varanasi city of moksha & rebirth not death. May be Trump is right abt fake news.”
