Showing papers in "Islam and Christian-muslim Relations in 2007"

Islamophobia in Contemporary Britain: The Evidence of the Opinion Polls, 1988–2006

Abstract: British attitudes towards Islam and Muslims are examined on the basis of 104 public opinion polls conducted between 1988 and 2006, 90 of them since 2001. Many of these surveys were undertaken at national crisis points of one sort or another for which Islam and Muslims could not avoid being seen as causal factors. Nine high-level conclusions are drawn from this evidence. There has been increasing Islamophobia, not least since 2001. A stereotypical picture of British Muslims in the eyes of the majority population has emerged, Muslims being seen as slow to integrate into mainstream society, feeling only a qualified sense of patriotism, and prone to espouse anti-Western values that lead many to condone so-called Islamic terrorism. To an extent, these stereotypes reflect the reality of Muslim views, as displayed in 29 polls conducted among the British Muslim community, mainly since 2001.

Pentecostal Movements, Islam and the Contest for Public Space in Northern Nigeria

Abstract: The article considers the changing relationship between independent Pentecostal and charismatic groups and radical Islamic movements in Northern Nigeria between the 1970s and the early years of the twenty-first century. All these groups, be they Christian or Muslim, represent a new dimension in religious fundamentalism in contemporary Nigeria. In spite of being internal revivalist groups within their respective religious traditions, they reflect negative attitudes toward each other. Their relationship has been marked by continuous competition for public space. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the demonization of Islamic groups was a feature of Pentecostal discourse. Through their involvement in political activities under the umbrella of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), evangelicals and Pentecostals developed a common front in the face of Muslim fundamentalism.

Christian–Muslim Relations in Kenya: A Catalogue of Events and Meanings

Abstract: This article examines contemporary paradigms, events and modes of communal behaviour which represent and reflect historical perspectives and shifts in Christian–Muslim relations in Kenya, which have been variously characterized by conflict, concord, polemics and dialogue, based on archival records, official documents and interviews. Since Muslims and Christians co-exist side by side in Kenya, they are compelled to respond to the challenges of this reality. Events involving Muslims and Christians as influenced by colonial history and the struggle for independence, and various ways in which the communities are participating in a new nation, are considered with reference to constitutional debates regarding Islamic courts.

Managing Muslim–Christian Conflicts in Northern Nigeria: A Case Study of Kaduna State

Abstract: This article sets out to identify the causes of Christian–Muslim conflicts in Northern Nigeria and suggest strategies for peaceful co-existence among the adherents of the two religions. It is based on in-depth interviews with the community and religious leaders and a survey of media coverage of the crises. The article examines the sudden upsurge of violent conflicts between Christians and Muslims in Northern Nigeria in general and Kaduna State in particular. Analysts posit that these conflicts arise from clashes of values and claims to scarce resources, power and status. The article examines how non-Muslims view the emirate system of administration with its Islamic origin, the Sharica system of law operating in the Northern States, and the effects of these on Christian–Muslim relations.

Muslim–Christian Relations in Tanzania with Particular Focus on the Relationship between Religious Instruction and Prejudice

Abstract: The article evaluates religious education strategies in view of the need to cope adequately with prejudices between Muslims and Christians in Tanzania against the historical background of the two traditions and contemporary events. It shows that religious prejudice is the result of religious instruction provided within both communities, and is due either to negative stereotypes or ignorance of the tradition of the other. The challenge is to critically analyse the teaching contents, aims and methods of religious instruction of each tradition in order to unearth prejudicial elements, and to recommend ways and means of coping with them.

Contextual Citizenship in Modern Islamic Thought

Abstract: This paper examines the concept of citizenship in Egyptian Islamic thought. It focuses on a group of intellectuals referred to as the ‘New Islamists’, who have articulated a kind of Islamic citizenship which would include non-Muslim minorities. In contrast to many Islamists, these thinkers do not advocate reviving the dhimma as a model for the treatment of non-Muslims within an Islamic state. The paper looks at the methods and arguments used for justifying citizenship within the Islamic ideological framework. It compares this conception of citizenship with Western assumptions and shows that there are a number of divergences. However, it also questions the efficacy of simply judging citizenship in Islamic thought through this lens. It asks whether a more constructive question is whether Egyptian Islamists have been able to articulate a conception of citizenship that has evolved ‘contextually’, taking into account Egyptian social, moral, and political culture.

Contemporary catholic perspectives on christian-muslim relations in sub-saharan Africa : The case of Tanzania

Abstract: Taking into consideration that Christians and Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa live intermingled in family, clan or ethnic groups, this article takes cognizance of the effect of the teachings of each tradition about their own identity and their perception of the other. It also seeks to take into account the Roman Catholic principles of inter-religious dialogue as enunciated by the Second Vatican Council in the documents Nostra Aetate and the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christians, as well as Unitatis Reintegratio, the Decree on Ecumenism, and Dominus Iesus. In view of the fact that these are seen as a source of tension, the question arises as to whether they are being interpreted correctly or applied in the spirit intended.

Mary between Bible and Qur'an: Soundings into the Transmission and Reception History of the Protoevangelium of James on the Basis of Selected Literary Sources in Coptic and Copto-Arabic and of Art-Historical Evidence Pertaining to Egypt

Abstract: Taking up the question of the permeability of boundaries between early Eastern Christian and Islamic communities and their literatures, this article studies the Coptic and Copto-Arabic trajectory of the transmission and reception history of the Protoevangelium of James, a text which offers remarkable parallels to presentations of Mary and Jesus in the Qur'an. Being a second-century Christian apocryphal work, the Protoevangelium tells of Mary's infancy and youth and ends shortly after the birth of Christ. The article proceeds from Emile de Strycker's claim of the Protoevangelium's Egyptian provenance through an examination of Egyptian Christian traditions concerning it, covering Coptic and Copto-Arabic literature up to and including the History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic Church of Alexandria. Ongoing research on Christian women in Copto-Arabic sources points to traces of the usage of the Protoevangelium of James in the early stages of redaction of the History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic C...

Issues in Christian–Muslim Relations: A Malaysian Christian Perspective*

Abstract: Malaysia is a democratic secular federation with Islam as its official religion. Over the last few decades, this unique model of tolerance and accommodation has been undergoing astounding developments politically, socially and economically. Intense intra-Muslim struggles coupled with increased state-mobilized Islamizing efforts have produced disturbing knock-on effects on non-Muslim minorities. Religion is so profoundly interwoven with race, ethnicity, politics and economics that it is impossible to speak of one without touching upon the others. This article aims to elucidate key practical issues affecting Christians living in a majority Islamic context. It further proposes significant policy options for managing Muslim–Christian relations in twenty-first-century Malaysia. Education is crucial for promoting interreligious harmony, religious freedom, and respect for people of different traditions. More collaborative endeavours through interfaith dialogue should help Malaysians transcend cultural, ...

Christian–Muslim Relations in Sub-Saharan Africa: Problems and Prospects

Abstract: Christian–Muslim relations, even at the best of times, have always been disturbingly marred by suspicion, accusations and counter-accusations over interpretations of history and experiences. This has been further confounded by the very complex nature of the colonial histories on the African continent, where the destruction of existing civilizations, empires and emperors provided the foundation stones for the establishment of the colonial states that later emerged. The article provides insights into some of the major issues that serve as constraints in Christian–Muslim relations in some of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It reviews issues of Christian–Muslim relations against the backdrop of the return of democracy in most of sub-Saharan Africa in the last ten or fifteen years and points out some policy issues that African states will need to address to lay a foundation for dialogue.

The Concept of Death: A Religio-philosophical Analysis

Abstract: In an age in which vast progress has been made in organ transplant technology, it is imperative to determine the point at which a human being is considered dead, for transplantation cannot occur until after death Traditional religious views imply that a human being is dead upon the departure of the soul from the body Taking the biological death of the body as a conclusive sign of the soul's departure is not an option Biological death refers to decomposition, and this cannot equate to the death of the person as such, for this would make the concept and practice of transplantation absurd, for transplantable parts of a biologically dead—ie decomposing—body could not be used On the other hand, if parts of the human body are themselves still biologically alive, could it not be said that taking such parts would amount to murder? Two conclusions follow from this predicament First, death as a ‘normative’ concept stands in sharp distinction from a purely biological concept Second, a normative conc

When Sharica Governs: The Impasse of Religious Relations in Sudan

Abstract: The rapid political rise of the National Islamic Front is examined within a broader and more complex context, particularly as it pertains to relations between Muslims and non-Muslims in Sudan during the period from 1989 to the present. The regime's decision to change the nature of the South–North conflict into a jihad confrontation was determinative for the future of Islam in the Sudan, even though the regime's jihad discourse has been characterized by ambiguity and confusion. The Islamists have not produced a policy statement or a juristic work addressing the status of non-Muslims in the Sharica-based state and society they envisage, in spite of the 1991 Criminal Act and the 1998 Constitution of the Republic of Sudan. As a result, non-Muslims in Sudan are facing a difficult and testing time.

Christopher Dawson and Ayatollah Khatami and 'the dialogue of civilizations' : A christian-muslim conversation

Abstract: The English Catholic historian Christopher Dawson (1889–1970) and the former president of Iran, Ayatollah Mohammed Khatami (b. 1943) have made passionate appeals for an international programme of order and dialogue that transcends nationalism, power politics, and strictly materialist ends. Although Dawson's musings were written over half a century before Khatami's speech to the United Nations in 2000, his tone and choice of themes are remarkably similar to those in Khatami's paper: Western culture; metahistorical dialogue; art as dialogue; cultural intrusion and homogenization; religious mysticism; and the resurgence of religion in global politics. A comparison of the vision of these two men is a timely and important contribution to interreligious dialogue. Further, Dawson's thoughts on global history, Europe, and international relations provide excellent insight into the changes in the Western mind which occurred during the twentieth century, Pope Benedict XVI's views on Europe and Muslim–Christian dialo...

The Past and the Future in Christian–Muslim Relations

Abstract: Despite their claims to be religions of peace, Christianity and Islam each have a history of considerable violence, based on scriptural precedents that are taken as sanctions for hostilities. The teachings of the two faiths bear initial similarities in the perceptions of the world they offer, but beyond this there are drastic differences. These basic teachings have fuelled the most negative attitudes between the faiths. In Christianity, these have usually focused on the Prophet, whom Christians have seen as a charlatan, and the Qur'an, which they have seen as a pastiche of the Bible. The attitude in Islam has been less intemperate, focused on demonstrating the lack of reason in Christian doctrines and the inconsistencies within them. Rather than seeking to discover what the others actually believe, Christians and Muslims have usually projected upon the other perceptions derived from their own teachings. The way forward lies in abandoning this, and in followers of the faiths learning about the oth...

Christian–Muslim Relations in Contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract: Socio-economic developments in Africa in an era of globalization, the rise of charismatic and evangelical Christianity, and the call for Islamization and application of the Sharica in parts of Africa are in danger of creating tension and destroying the apparently peaceful co-existence between the two faith communities. The article offers a conceptual basis for the relationship between Christians and Muslims from the Islamic perspective, addressing the need for Christians and Muslims to work in concert and the inherent problems that must be faced, and makes recommendations to foster a better relationship. Since any discussion of the contemporary is rooted in the past, reference is made to historical situations in order that Muslims and Christians may learn from history. Examples from Nigeria and the Sudan, where there has been polarization of Muslims and Christians, and where the problem is endemic, seek to illustrate the point, together with personal experiences and observations from Ghana.

Walking a Tightrope: Christians and Muslims in Post-Genocide Rwanda

Abstract: The 1994 genocide has become a major factor in Rwandan history. At its root lie both ethnic and religious dimensions. These events are considered in the context of a long history of tension and conflict between segments of the population. Religion having contributed to the radicalization of social identities through the involvement of the religious leadership in the genocide, the article analyses Christian–Muslim relations in post-genocide Rwanda. Interviews with Christians and Muslims show that the hitherto marginalized Muslim minority has been able to protect victims and, in cooperation with other groups, has embarked on jihād to enhance and facilitate reconciliation. As a result, both Tutsis and Hutus have been turning to Islam.

'Vie with each other in good works' : What can a roman catholic missionary order learn from entering into closer contact with muslims?

Abstract: The article deals with concerns and hopes regarding something commonly known as Christian missionary activity, which in Africa has tended to see Muslims as rivals in a race for the souls of the adherents of African indigenous religions. After explaining the meaning of a dialogue-based approach to missionary work, the focus is on matters concerning the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) and its new involvement in Chad. Such an analysis is essential if the SVD is going to change the perception of Christian mission from an exercise in religious imperialism to a dialogical way of searching together for the signs of God's presence. The latter will involve closer contact with Muslims and hopefully will incline SVD missionaries to a more thorough adoption and implementation of a dialogical way of carrying out their ministry, one based on profound and conscious respect for others.

Beyond Death: The Treatment of Indigenous Human Remains—a Human Rights Perspective

Abstract: Indigenous human remains that have been disinterred and removed (often overseas) without the permission of the descendants of the deceased fall within the broader category of movable cultural heritage. It is accepted that the rights associated with culture as well as certain other human rights—such as freedom of expression and association—are applicable directly to cultural heritage. When considering the human rights dimension of the treatment of indigenous human remains, it is vital to appreciate that for indigeneous peoples the bodies of their ancestors represent an important spiritual heritage as well as being an essential element in their sense of identity. Therefore, both their religious practices (which may include the worship of their ancestors) and their right to cultural identity (and the associated material heritage) should be respected. Most legal systems have laws that prohibit the disturbance of burial grounds, although it is not uncommon for old burial grounds to be turned over to o...

Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations in Germany: Recent Developments and Continuing Issues

Abstract: The field of Christian–Muslim relations in Germany today is an increasingly important subject for study and analysis. In this article the authors give a short expository description of the religious context of Germany, noting salient factors of church–state relations and the role of religion. This sets the scene for an overview of Islam, followed by an exploration of aspects of Christian–Muslim relations within Germany. A discussion of some key issues with respect to the specifics of Islam in present-day Germany, and aspects of relations with this Islam, will also be included. The article does not provide exhaustive coverage; rather it attempts to introduce a non-German readership to the contemporary phenomenon of Islam and Christian–Muslim relations in Germany, which, arguably, is of considerable significance to the broader European experience as well as of importance to the understanding of Islam and its relations to wider non-Muslim societies in regional contexts.

Death in Contemporary Western Culture

Abstract: As a Christian priest and minister, I have inevitably taken responsibility for getting to know a wide variety of families as they faced the dying or death of a relative, and in the majority of cases I have not previously known the family Unlike many other occasions for pastoral contact, the encounter with death has meant that I have met families when they are ready to be very open and honest about their feelings In this paper, beginning with reference to a contemporary film, I explore the question of the concept of death in Western culture today I am particularly indebted to Grace Jantzen for shaping a key question: Is it necrophilia or necrophobia that best describes the attitude of Western culture to death? I shall examine these two particular lines of thinking prior to offering some reflections on ways in which the Christian tradition approaches the subject

The ‘Global Ethic’: Criticisms and the Possibilities of Post-secular Thinking*

Abstract: This paper begins by considering the proposal of Hans Kung and others for a ‘global ethic’ (presented to the World Parliament of Religions in 1993). It briefly surveys some of the common critiques of the ethic before looking at the postmodern ethics of Zygmunt Bauman and recent philosophical and theological movements in Christian thinking that seek to move ‘beyond the secular’: e.g. Radical Orthodoxy. Following on from this, the paper considers the possible contribution of such ‘post-secular’ theological movements, particularly in terms of their ontologies of peace, beauty, and ‘participation’ in the divine. These narratives are contrasted with the ‘secular’ global ethic and the paper concludes by considering the possibility of a more fruitful trialogue between the Abrahamic religions on the basis of a post-secular discourse.

Religion, Culture and the Shaping of Religious Attitudes: The Case of Islam

Abstract: That we live in a world of racial, cultural, ideological and religious differences is a fact of existence. Our awareness of this is not new. What is new, however, is the growing appreciation of these differences and the realization that in a significant sense difference is creative and so must be celebrated. Nevertheless, difference is also challenging. At the present time, no student of religion can avoid asking the pressing question of what attitude to take towards people of ‘other’ religious traditions. This article will investigate how this question has been approached within the culture(s) of Islam. It will argue that the attitude of Muslims towards the people of other religious traditions is not fixed, even within the same time and place. The current context of society and the state of affairs (social, political, demographic, etc.) affects this doctrine.

Minorities, Muslims and Shari: Some Reflections on Islamic Law and Muslims without Political Power

Abstract: Muslims are defined as Muslims by their sacred law; as such, they constitute a religious community delineated, theoretically and practically, according to a notion of jurisprudence. The comprehensive nature of that law has led many to doubt the ability of Muslims to integrate into non-Muslim societies, and the confusion remains in various ways in the present day, with many continuing to question it. Both Muslims and non-Muslims appear to be aware that for a large number of Muslims in the EU sacred law is not only useful but imperative for understanding their current situation. Looking at how jurists and intellectuals understood the role of Shari in both the past and the present is therefore of great interest to scholars and students in the field of Islamic studies in Europe.

Christian–Muslim Relations in South Africa (circa 1986–2004): Charting Out a Pluralist Path

Abstract: South Africa, like many other nation-states in sub-Saharan Africa, has been a multi-lingual, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious state for more than a century. This mosaic character of South African society stimulated Archbishop Desmond Tutu to aptly describe it as ‘the rainbow nation’. The population of South Africa's rainbow nation numbers in the region of 44.8 million, and is predominantly Christian. Other members of this nation belong to numerous other religious traditions, including Muslims, who make up roughly 1.5% (less than one million) of the total population. Despite their small numbers, Muslims have played a prominent role in South African society before and throughout the twentieth century, and their relationship with the majority Christian society, particularly within the African, Coloured and Indian communities, may generally be described as cordial.

Death in Hospital: The Place of Religion in the Care of the Patient

Abstract: The reflections in this article are based on my experience over the past ten years as hospital chaplain of a large district general hospital within the UK National Health Service. I realize the limitations of this experience, but I hope that I may achieve some insights that have a wider application. I attempt to bring my hospital experience into a creative relationship with other aspects of my life, which include a commitment to Christian–Muslim dialogue, and a background of life and work in the Middle East, where I worked for the Anglican Church in Lebanon and Syria from 1973 until 1982.

Towards a Theological Metaphysics of Death

Abstract: Death is an inescapable event. It defines our existence as mortal. It is both a marker of our finitude and a portal to a deeper mystery: what awaits us in, through, and beyond this moment of ending? In thinking about death in the context of a theological dialogue, I identify two key questions: the phenomenological ‘What is death?’ and the philosophical ‘What is the meaning of death?’ as the beginning points of reflection. In general, it is the function of religion to provide some sort of answer to these questions, to give death both coherent definition and adequate understanding. The primary religious response is to articulate appropriate beliefs. But in their intellectual formation and construction, beliefs draw on metaphysics—the structures of logic, language, conceptuality and general worldview presuppositions by which we render all things intelligible and communicable. In this article I shall undertake an exploration of Christian viewpoints on death, which will require noting antecedents and corollari...

Autonomy, Euthanasia and the Right to Die with Dignity: A Comparison of Kantian Ethics and Shicite Teachings

Abstract: This article engages in a conceptual analysis and discussion of the definition of euthanasia, including a number of inherent distinctions, together with a concomitant examination of various value perspectives that are applied to the way the idea of ‘life’ itself is understood, especially the notion of autonomy. Among a number of considerations, the pro-life and pro-choice controversy and its relevance cannot be ignored in the context of a comprehensive discussion of the issue from a Shicite point of view. An attempt is made to show that euthanasia is a sophisticated normative subject with different aspects and categories. An outright normative refutation of the act by many Muslim writers and jurists seems to be a kind of oversimplification of this multi-faceted issue.

Human Dignity and Assisted Dying

Abstract: The United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in its preamble, affirms ‘the inherent dignity and … the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family’ as ‘the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world’. However, advocates of assisted dying have proposed that human dignity is not inherent and that individuals should be able to determine their own dignity and quality of life. In response to this, it is suggested that persons who consider that their lives are no longer worth living, or believe that they have lost their ‘dignity’, are discriminating against themselves. Moreover, with assisted dying, as opposed to suicide, another person must also believe that it would be preferable for a person wishing to die not to continue living. In other words, assisted dying is a reflection of the unacceptable belief by a person that human dignity is not inherent and that another person can lose his or her dignity to such an extent that his or her life is no longer worth...

Dichotomic structure and the possibility of the third mode in muslim theology

Abstract: The method of dichotomization (division/classification process) has been used to formalize our maps of reality and to make predictions based on those maps. This method indicates the structure and nature of information processing within the human brain. Whether in forms of opposition or complementarity, dichotomies have performed an important function in Muslim theology as a method of producing concept, knowledge and thought. The method of dichotomization has contributed to the formation of a certain epistemology, ontology and methaphysic in Muslim theology. By using the dialectical method based on dichotomies, Muslim theologians have created a third term, or mode, or value, different from dialogical Aristotelian logic, thus overcoming the dichotomies and reaching a synthesis.

Listening to the Language, Listening to the Words and Listening to the Spaces between the Words: Rhetoric and Pragmatics in the Performance of Christian–Muslim Relations

Abstract: The article argues for the need to look beyond the texts used within the context of interreligious dialogue, and to focus just as much on the context and the way in which the texts are expected to be heard. It focuses specifically on Christian–Muslim dialogue at an event in Iran where the author was present. By looking at the use of rhetoric and pragmatics within his own contribution to this event, he raises questions about the way in which those contributing to dialogue communicate with the many different audiences involved, and the way in which their messages are received by those audiences. By focussing on this one event, the aim is to show what might be achieved through this kind of analysis and to call for more work to be done in this kind of way.