CNN's Reza Aslan Is Getting Slammed for Eating Human Brains With Small Sect of 'Aghori' Hindus in India
During the premiere of CNN's Believer, a show in which Reza Aslan investigates extreme religious sects around the world, many took offense when the host of the show ate human brains with a specific group of Hindus in India.
Aslan, an Iranian-born religious scholar, met with the Aghori sect when he was invited to participate in their cannibalism ritual.
During the ritual, Aslan drank from a human skull then proceeded to eat pieces of a human brain.
During the segment, Aslan's talking distracted the Aghori guru.
"I will cut your head off if you keep talking so much," shouted the guru.
Although the show may give the impression that this specific group of Hindus in tied into the popular forms of the religion, Indian-Americans have criticized CNN for displaying the cult, which has less than 100 members.
The Aghori are devotees of the Hindu god Shiva. However, their practices are rejected by orthodox Hindus and mainstream Hinduism.
People concerned with the current religious tensions in the US feared the segment would create generalizations about all Hindus
According to the Hindustan Times, the US India Political Action Committee is not happy with the portrayal
"With multiple reports of hate-fueled attacks against people of Indian origin from across the US, the show characterizes Hinduism as cannibalistic, which is a bizarre way of looking at the third largest religion in the world," the committee said in a statement.
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The disgust that many felt while watching the show was not sugarcoated
Aslan, 44, appeared undeterred by the blowback he received
