(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – An author and religions scholar will be the keynote speaker for the upcoming Politics and Social Justice Week March 30-April 8 at the University of Central Missouri.

Reza Aslan will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 2, in the Laura J. Nahm Auditorium in the W.C. Morris Science Building on the UCM campus.

“Bringing Together a World Divided” is the theme for the week of presentations by speakers on a wide range of topics related to social justice. Aslan, a professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside, is the author of a variety of books on religion and society, according to a news release.

His first book is the international bestseller, “No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam,” which has been translated into 17 languages and was named one of the 100 most important books of the last decade.

Aslan also is the author of “How to Win a Cosmic War,” published in paperback as “Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in a Globalized Age,” as well as editor of two volumes, “Tablet and Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East” and “Muslims and Jews in America: Commonalties, Contentions, and Complexities.” His most recent book, “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth,” has been translated into 28 languages and was a No. 1 “New York Times” bestseller.

Aslan serves on the board of trustees for the Chicago Theological Seminary and is a member of the American Academy of Religions, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the International Qur’anic Studies Association. He is the founder of AslanMedia, a social media network for news and entertainment about the Middle East and the world, and co-founder and chief creative officer of BoomGen Studios. He is a frequent guest on news programs and talk shows on channels such as CNN and HBO.

Aslan’s degrees include a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies from Santa Clara University, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University, a doctorate in the sociology of religions from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa, where he was named the Truman Capote Fellow in Fiction.

All of the social justice week events are free and open to the public. The week will open with candlelight vigil planned for 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 30, on the Elliott Union Mall, featuring a variety of speakers from the campus and community. In addition to Aslan’s presentation, speakers and panel discussions are scheduled throughout the week on a variety of topics, including immigration and policing, media and politics, policing and race, affirmative action and education, North Korea and women in politics.

For a full schedule of events, visit ucmo.edu/politicalscience/pandsjweek.cfm.

Politics and Social Justice Week at UCM is jointly sponsored by the Department of Government, International Studies and Languages; Students for Political Action; the UCM Student Government Association; Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Department of Communication; Department of Criminal Justice; Center for Teaching and Learning, College of Education and the Office of the University President.