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Read the editorial about Themes and Resources in Christian-Muslim Relations in this edition


Heavenly Religion or Unbelief? Muslim Perspectives on Christianity

David Marshall has a PhD in Islamic Studies from Birmingham University . He teaches in various contexts, including the Cambridge Theological Federation, where he is an Associate Tutor at Ridley Hall. He is the author of God, Muhammad and the Unbelievers (Routledge Curzon, 1999).

David Marshall initially considers attitudes towards Christianity and Christians in the Qur'an, the primary sacred text of Islam, and how these have been classically interpreted. He then examines views of Christianity among contemporary Islamic writers, drawing on both scholarly figures such as Isma'il al-Faruqi and Seyyed Hossein Nasr as well as the highly polemical style of Ahmad Deedat. In the process he identifies how, from the Qur'an onwards, Islam has validated both the affirmation of Christianity as a heavenly religion and the rejection of Christianity as unbelief.

Theological Foundations of Shari'a in Islam: Evangelical Christian Concerns and Reservations 

John Azumah holds a PhD in Islamics from the University of Birmingham , UK , and is now a Research Fellow with the Akrofi-Christaller Memorial Centre in Ghana . He is author of The Legacy of Arab-Islam in Africa : A Quest for Inter-Religious Dialogue ( Oxford : Oneword Publications, 2001) and of articles in various academic journals.

This article initially considers the theological and doctrinal basis of the Shari'a and the role accorded to the Muslim community ( umma ) in actualizing God's Will on earth. John Azumah then responds as an evangelical Christian, raising theological and confessional concerns and reservations with regard to the Shari'a. He does this by drawing mainly from the mainstream teaching of both Islam and Christianity.

'Get Wisdom, Get Understanding': How Study Contributes to Muslim-Christian Engagement

Ida Glaser is Senior Teaching and Research Fellow at The Edinburgh Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies. She is currently teaching courses on 'Qur'an and Bible' and 'History of Muslim-Christian dialogue'.

In this article Ida Glaser draws on diverse biblical materials, particularly the Wisdom tradition, to support a call for the importance of studying Islam and hearing Muslim voices in order to enhance Christian-Muslim engagement. She challenges Christians whose approach to Islam is divorced from both Islamic and biblical wisdom.

Catholic-Shi'a Dialogue: A Christian-Muslim Engagement

Anthony O'Mahony is Director of Research at the Centre for Christianity and Interreligious Dialogue, Heythrop College , University of London . He has written widely on diverse Christian communities in the Middle East and Christian-Muslim relations.

This article initially considers a diverse set of contextual issues which impact on the relationship between Christianity and Islam in the world today. It then provides a concise survey of themes central to Shi'a Islam, and concludes by considering shared aspects of Shi'a Islam and Catholic Christianity which can form the basis for Catholic-Shi'a dialogue.

 

 

 

 

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