HarperCollins India has acquired publishing rights of "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth", a controversial biography of Jesus Christ by Muslim author Reza Aslan.
"'Zealot' is history, biography, cultural politics and just sheer beautiful prose, all coming together to make a truly strong narrative that is bound to resonate with readers in the subcontinent. We are thrilled to bring it to India," said a statement from the publication house Saturday.
The book will be available in stores by the last week of September.
The Iran-born scholar was questioned why he wrote a book on the founder of Christianity despite the fact that he is a Muslim.
His interview on a TV channel had sparked a wide public debate in the US about Islamophobia.
"Zealot" challenges long-held assumptions about Jesus. It portrays him as a revolutionary Jewish nationalist who sought to end Roman rule in Palestine on behalf of the poor and marginalised, and not as a messiah who preached peace and finding his kingdom in heaven.
This historical examination, which clashes with Christian beliefs, led to the outrage.
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