Wait, what?

It happened. Allegedly.

I don’t know if this is CNN’s attempt to increase their ratings, but the network has introduced a new series called “Believer,” with host Reza Aslan.

And boy howdy, the first program out of the gate was a doozy.

Aslan spotlighted Hinduism on the Sunday premiere, but instead of going the safe route and summarizing the traditions of that faith (which, in my opinion, are truly fascinating), he spent a good chunk of time with the obscure “Aghouri” sect. The Aghouris are known for their, let’s say, rather outlandish customs (and that’s being generous).

He located a small group of nomadic Aghouri ascetics outside the Hindu holy city of Varanasi. There he got his face smeared with cremated human ashes and drank alcohol from a human skull.

(Hold on — religious ascetics consuming alcohol? Never mind, this is never explained.)

Then this happened:

https://youtu.be/Pn7HHEdmgjQ

At the end of the segment, Aslan and his camera crew were chased out of the camp by the crazy Aghouri flinging his own poo at them. What an ending.

The day after this segment was broadcast, Aslan really stepped in it (so to speak) when he posted at his Facebook page:

“Want to know what a dead guy’s brain tastes like? Charcoal. It was burnt to a crisp!”

Since then CNN and Reza Aslan — who is Muslim — have come under fire from prominent Hindus.

The U.S. India Political Action Committee released a statement that accused CNN of showcasing “a fringe sect … as the face of Hinduism. In a charged environment a show like this can create a perception about Indian Americans which could make them more vulnerable to further attacks.”

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), the first Hindu elected to Congress, tweeted:

Everyday Hindus were enraged as well.

I watched that program as it was broadcast on Sunday, since I have always been interested in other religions. As a college undergraduate I took a fascinating class entitled “Religions of the East.” To the best of my recollection, in the professor’s discussion of Hinduism, he never referenced the Aghouri sect. Yes, I took that class decades ago, but I certainly would have remembered learning about such a bizarre group.

And, something about that scene with Reza Aslan and the Aghouris didn’t appear like a natural interaction. Reza Aslan wasn’t ambling alone up to these strange men on a beach, wanting them to impart their wisdom to him. He was followed by his producer and a camera man, who prominently show up in the above video. Don’t you think the Aghouris knew what was happening? Isn’t it fully believable that they played to the camera, and played Aslan as well? Or maybe Aslan knew exactly what angle he wanted to achieve.

No wonder CNN’s ratings have continued to be trounced by Fox News Channel. If CNN thinks shenanigans like Reza Aslan’s adventure with the Aghouris are going to increase its flagging credibility, then CNN is doing it wrong.