Charlotte A. Quinn and Frederick Quinn
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195063868
- eISBN:
- 9780199834587
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195063864.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
From earliest times, Muslims were a visible presence along the Indian Ocean of East Africa, coming from different locations in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, and elsewhere. Islam moved inland ...
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From earliest times, Muslims were a visible presence along the Indian Ocean of East Africa, coming from different locations in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, and elsewhere. Islam moved inland in Kenya and surrounding countries during the nineteenth century, largely brought by traders. Kenyan Islam is divided along structural, ethnic, personality, geographical, and doctrinal lines, resulting in a divided community, accounting for perhaps 30% of the population. Despite the influence of Iran and Libya, Kenya has successfully contained radical Islam, especially following the bombing of the American Embassy in Nairobi, but Islamic discontent is unabated since the root causes of societal discontent remain unresolved. The short‐lived effort by Shaikh Khalid Balala proved more of an irritant than a threat to the government, which continues to dole out bits of patronage to coastal and Somali Muslims in the country's northeast.Less
From earliest times, Muslims were a visible presence along the Indian Ocean of East Africa, coming from different locations in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, and elsewhere. Islam moved inland in Kenya and surrounding countries during the nineteenth century, largely brought by traders. Kenyan Islam is divided along structural, ethnic, personality, geographical, and doctrinal lines, resulting in a divided community, accounting for perhaps 30% of the population. Despite the influence of Iran and Libya, Kenya has successfully contained radical Islam, especially following the bombing of the American Embassy in Nairobi, but Islamic discontent is unabated since the root causes of societal discontent remain unresolved. The short‐lived effort by Shaikh Khalid Balala proved more of an irritant than a threat to the government, which continues to dole out bits of patronage to coastal and Somali Muslims in the country's northeast.
Jack Tannous
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691179094
- eISBN:
- 9780691184166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691179094.003.0012
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This chapter focuses on the most consequential kind of Christian–Muslim interaction: conversion. It considers legitimate and illegitimate reasons for converting from one religion to another. For some ...
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This chapter focuses on the most consequential kind of Christian–Muslim interaction: conversion. It considers legitimate and illegitimate reasons for converting from one religion to another. For some Christian leaders, becoming a Muslim was something that people did out of a number of motivations, some of them more unholy than others: in addition to a desire for material benefits or a drive for status and power, there were family or tribal connections that drew people to convert. There was also an attraction to a religious framework that allowed a greater range of human behaviors and activities. People might also become Muslims under compulsion. Tellingly, these leaders could not conceive that a person might convert out of sincere religious motivation. Conversions that took place with reference to doctrines or beliefs were seen as cases where people had been deceived or had acted out of a lack of education and ignorance.Less
This chapter focuses on the most consequential kind of Christian–Muslim interaction: conversion. It considers legitimate and illegitimate reasons for converting from one religion to another. For some Christian leaders, becoming a Muslim was something that people did out of a number of motivations, some of them more unholy than others: in addition to a desire for material benefits or a drive for status and power, there were family or tribal connections that drew people to convert. There was also an attraction to a religious framework that allowed a greater range of human behaviors and activities. People might also become Muslims under compulsion. Tellingly, these leaders could not conceive that a person might convert out of sincere religious motivation. Conversions that took place with reference to doctrines or beliefs were seen as cases where people had been deceived or had acted out of a lack of education and ignorance.
Jack Tannous
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691179094
- eISBN:
- 9780691184166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691179094.003.0013
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This chapter looks at the observation that a person who was actually learned in both his own religious tradition and in the Islamic tradition would never convert for anything other than ...
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This chapter looks at the observation that a person who was actually learned in both his own religious tradition and in the Islamic tradition would never convert for anything other than nontheological reasons. Most Christians and Muslims were not learned in their own religious tradition, much less in that of a rival religion, and will have been ill-equipped or simply unable to discuss and debate religious difference at the level of sophisticated theology in a proper and informed way. For this reason, if when speaking about Christian–Muslim relations, one's focus is on difference at the level of doctrinal theology, one will gain only a distorted understanding of seventh- and eighth-century realities. One will overlook the existence of a layering and continuum of knowledge in the Christian community and fail to take into account the reality that most conversions by Christians to Islam will have been conversions of simple Christians into simple Muslims.Less
This chapter looks at the observation that a person who was actually learned in both his own religious tradition and in the Islamic tradition would never convert for anything other than nontheological reasons. Most Christians and Muslims were not learned in their own religious tradition, much less in that of a rival religion, and will have been ill-equipped or simply unable to discuss and debate religious difference at the level of sophisticated theology in a proper and informed way. For this reason, if when speaking about Christian–Muslim relations, one's focus is on difference at the level of doctrinal theology, one will gain only a distorted understanding of seventh- and eighth-century realities. One will overlook the existence of a layering and continuum of knowledge in the Christian community and fail to take into account the reality that most conversions by Christians to Islam will have been conversions of simple Christians into simple Muslims.
Jack Tannous
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691179094
- eISBN:
- 9780691184166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691179094.003.0016
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This concluding chapter argues that late Roman Syria was a place where linguistic frontiers did not translate into cultural boundaries. The Arab conquests of the seventh century did not change this; ...
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This concluding chapter argues that late Roman Syria was a place where linguistic frontiers did not translate into cultural boundaries. The Arab conquests of the seventh century did not change this; instead, the prestige their new scripture enjoyed added a third literary language, Arabic, to the mix of a region with an already rich history of intercultural exchange. Moreover, religious dynamics continued as they had for centuries—viewed against the background of post-Chalcedonian Christian–Christian interaction, the scope and nature of Christian–Muslim interaction looks very familiar. Ultimately, in trying to place the existence of the Middle East's population of simple Christians not just into this story, but at its center, this book has attempted to capture some of the excitement and interest of this process in a way that does justice to all of the people living there, not just a small subset of them.Less
This concluding chapter argues that late Roman Syria was a place where linguistic frontiers did not translate into cultural boundaries. The Arab conquests of the seventh century did not change this; instead, the prestige their new scripture enjoyed added a third literary language, Arabic, to the mix of a region with an already rich history of intercultural exchange. Moreover, religious dynamics continued as they had for centuries—viewed against the background of post-Chalcedonian Christian–Christian interaction, the scope and nature of Christian–Muslim interaction looks very familiar. Ultimately, in trying to place the existence of the Middle East's population of simple Christians not just into this story, but at its center, this book has attempted to capture some of the excitement and interest of this process in a way that does justice to all of the people living there, not just a small subset of them.
Walter D. Ward
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780520283770
- eISBN:
- 9780520959521
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520283770.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
The Mirage of the Saracen analyzes the growth of monasticism and Christian settlements in the Sinai Peninsula through the early seventh century CE. It uses a post-colonial lens to examine the ways ...
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The Mirage of the Saracen analyzes the growth of monasticism and Christian settlements in the Sinai Peninsula through the early seventh century CE. It uses a post-colonial lens to examine the ways that Christian monks justified occupying the Sinai through creating associations between Biblical narratives and Sinai sites and assigning uncivilized, negative, and oppositional traits to the indigenous nomadic population, whom the Christians pejoratively called “Saracens.” By writing edifying tales of hostile nomads and the ensuing martyrdom of the monks, not only did the Christians reinforce their claims to the spiritual benefits of asceticism, they also provoked the Roman authorities to enhance the defense of pilgrimage routes to the Sinai. Included in these defenses was the monastery now known as Saint Catherine’s. When Muslim armies later began conquering the Middle East, Christians also labelled these new conquerors as Saracens, connecting Muslims to these pre-Islamic representations. The main sources used in this work are the Sinai Martyr Narratives – Ammonius’s Relatio and Pseudo-Nilus’s Narrationes, though many other literary sources as well as archaeological and anthropological information is used extensively.Less
The Mirage of the Saracen analyzes the growth of monasticism and Christian settlements in the Sinai Peninsula through the early seventh century CE. It uses a post-colonial lens to examine the ways that Christian monks justified occupying the Sinai through creating associations between Biblical narratives and Sinai sites and assigning uncivilized, negative, and oppositional traits to the indigenous nomadic population, whom the Christians pejoratively called “Saracens.” By writing edifying tales of hostile nomads and the ensuing martyrdom of the monks, not only did the Christians reinforce their claims to the spiritual benefits of asceticism, they also provoked the Roman authorities to enhance the defense of pilgrimage routes to the Sinai. Included in these defenses was the monastery now known as Saint Catherine’s. When Muslim armies later began conquering the Middle East, Christians also labelled these new conquerors as Saracens, connecting Muslims to these pre-Islamic representations. The main sources used in this work are the Sinai Martyr Narratives – Ammonius’s Relatio and Pseudo-Nilus’s Narrationes, though many other literary sources as well as archaeological and anthropological information is used extensively.
Christian W. Troll and C.T.R. Hewer (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780823243198
- eISBN:
- 9780823243235
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823243198.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
This book captures the autobiographical reflections of twenty-eight Christians who were amongst those who, in the wake of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and initiatives of the World Council of ...
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This book captures the autobiographical reflections of twenty-eight Christians who were amongst those who, in the wake of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and initiatives of the World Council of Churches, committed their lives to the study of Islam and to practical Christian-Muslim relations in new and irenic ways. They record what drew them into the study of Islam, how their careers developed, what sustained them in this work and salient milestones along the way. These men and women come from a dozen nationalities and across the spectrum of the Western Church. Their accounts take us to twenty-five countries and into all the branches of Islamic studies: Qur'an, Hadith, Shari'a, Sufism, philology, theology and philosophy. They range in age from late-forties to late-nineties and so have a wealth of experience to share. They give fascinating insights into personal encounters with Islam and Muslims, speak of the ways in which their Christian traditions of spiritual training formed and nourished them, and deal with some of the misunderstandings and opposition that they have faced along the way. In an analytical conclusion, the editors draw out themes and pointers towards future developments. Such a constellation has not existed before and will not be seen again for at least half a century. Theirs is a unique generation and this is their considered contribution to the state of Christian-Muslim engagement today.Less
This book captures the autobiographical reflections of twenty-eight Christians who were amongst those who, in the wake of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and initiatives of the World Council of Churches, committed their lives to the study of Islam and to practical Christian-Muslim relations in new and irenic ways. They record what drew them into the study of Islam, how their careers developed, what sustained them in this work and salient milestones along the way. These men and women come from a dozen nationalities and across the spectrum of the Western Church. Their accounts take us to twenty-five countries and into all the branches of Islamic studies: Qur'an, Hadith, Shari'a, Sufism, philology, theology and philosophy. They range in age from late-forties to late-nineties and so have a wealth of experience to share. They give fascinating insights into personal encounters with Islam and Muslims, speak of the ways in which their Christian traditions of spiritual training formed and nourished them, and deal with some of the misunderstandings and opposition that they have faced along the way. In an analytical conclusion, the editors draw out themes and pointers towards future developments. Such a constellation has not existed before and will not be seen again for at least half a century. Theirs is a unique generation and this is their considered contribution to the state of Christian-Muslim engagement today.
Nicholas Doumanis
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199547043
- eISBN:
- 9780191746215
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199547043.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History, History of Religion
The Greek Christians expelled from Anatolia between 1912 and 1924 often spoke about earlier times when they ‘lived well with the Turks’. They yearned for the days when they worked and drank coffee ...
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The Greek Christians expelled from Anatolia between 1912 and 1924 often spoke about earlier times when they ‘lived well with the Turks’. They yearned for the days when they worked and drank coffee together, participated in each other’s festivals, and even revered the same saints and miracle-working shrines. Historians have never given serious regard to such oral traditions, given the refugees had been victims of horrific ‘ethnic’ violence that appeared to reflect deep pre-existing animosities. This book considers the rationality of such unlikely nostalgic traditions, which happen to be common among refugees from dismembered multi-ethnic societies. It claims that intercommunality, a mode of everyday living based on the accommodation of cultural difference, normally played a stabilizing function within societies like the Ottoman Empire. Along with a genuine longing for lost homelands, the refugees were nostalgic for moral environments in which religious communities claimed to have lived in accordance with their respective religious and ethical values. Although these traditions depicted worlds that were implausibly pristine, the intention was to counter the dominant but spurious national narrative, which reviled Turks as irredeemable barbarians and dismissed these refugee histories of coexistence as pure fantasy. Drawing largely from an oral archive containing 5,000 interviews, the book investigates the mentalities, cosmologies and value systems of these ordinary Anatolians, and shows how their popular perspectives pose serious challenges to the historiography. The book also examines the role of political violence in destroying this Ottoman society, and the way it effectively transformed these Anatolians into Greeks and Turks.Less
The Greek Christians expelled from Anatolia between 1912 and 1924 often spoke about earlier times when they ‘lived well with the Turks’. They yearned for the days when they worked and drank coffee together, participated in each other’s festivals, and even revered the same saints and miracle-working shrines. Historians have never given serious regard to such oral traditions, given the refugees had been victims of horrific ‘ethnic’ violence that appeared to reflect deep pre-existing animosities. This book considers the rationality of such unlikely nostalgic traditions, which happen to be common among refugees from dismembered multi-ethnic societies. It claims that intercommunality, a mode of everyday living based on the accommodation of cultural difference, normally played a stabilizing function within societies like the Ottoman Empire. Along with a genuine longing for lost homelands, the refugees were nostalgic for moral environments in which religious communities claimed to have lived in accordance with their respective religious and ethical values. Although these traditions depicted worlds that were implausibly pristine, the intention was to counter the dominant but spurious national narrative, which reviled Turks as irredeemable barbarians and dismissed these refugee histories of coexistence as pure fantasy. Drawing largely from an oral archive containing 5,000 interviews, the book investigates the mentalities, cosmologies and value systems of these ordinary Anatolians, and shows how their popular perspectives pose serious challenges to the historiography. The book also examines the role of political violence in destroying this Ottoman society, and the way it effectively transformed these Anatolians into Greeks and Turks.
Sasha D. Pack
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781503606678
- eISBN:
- 9781503607538
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9781503606678.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, Imperialism and Colonialism
This chapter looks at Spanish administration of northern Morocco after the Rif War. As the physical border between Spain and Morocco disintegrated, Spanish colonial administrators looked for ways to ...
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This chapter looks at Spanish administration of northern Morocco after the Rif War. As the physical border between Spain and Morocco disintegrated, Spanish colonial administrators looked for ways to promote “Hispano-Moroccan brotherhood” while preserving religious, social, and sexual boundaries between Moroccan Muslims, Jews, and Spanish settlers. While much scholarship in this area has been dedicated to exposing the Spanish colonial rhetoric of brotherhood to be a ruse, this chapter takes seriously the notion that the Spanish colonial administration attempted to distinguish itself from its French counterpart—even to the point of weakening the positions of the sovereign Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla. It aimed to demonstrate greater respect for local customs and traditions and to elevate the zone’s Muslim “caliph” to the status of sovereign, although in other ways its practices resembled the French model.Less
This chapter looks at Spanish administration of northern Morocco after the Rif War. As the physical border between Spain and Morocco disintegrated, Spanish colonial administrators looked for ways to promote “Hispano-Moroccan brotherhood” while preserving religious, social, and sexual boundaries between Moroccan Muslims, Jews, and Spanish settlers. While much scholarship in this area has been dedicated to exposing the Spanish colonial rhetoric of brotherhood to be a ruse, this chapter takes seriously the notion that the Spanish colonial administration attempted to distinguish itself from its French counterpart—even to the point of weakening the positions of the sovereign Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla. It aimed to demonstrate greater respect for local customs and traditions and to elevate the zone’s Muslim “caliph” to the status of sovereign, although in other ways its practices resembled the French model.
Michael Lower
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198744320
- eISBN:
- 9780191805707
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198744320.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History, History of Religion
Why did the last of the major European campaigns to reclaim Jerusalem wind up attacking Tunis, a peaceful North African port city thousands of miles from the Holy Land? In the first book-length study ...
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Why did the last of the major European campaigns to reclaim Jerusalem wind up attacking Tunis, a peaceful North African port city thousands of miles from the Holy Land? In the first book-length study of the campaign in English, Michael Lower tells the story of how the classic era of crusading came to such an unexpected end. Unfolding against a backdrop of conflict and collaboration that extended from England to Inner Asia, the Tunis Crusade entangled people from every corner of the Mediterranean world. Within this expansive geographical playing field, the ambitions of four powerful Mediterranean dynasts would collide. While the slave-boy-turned-sultan Baybars of Egypt and the saint-king Louis IX of France waged a bitter battle for Syria, al-Mustansir of Tunis and Louis’s younger brother Charles of Anjou struggled for control of the Sicilian Straits. When the conflicts over Syria and Sicily became intertwined in the late 1260s, the Tunis Crusade was the shocking result. While the history of the crusades is often told only from the crusaders’ perspective, in The Tunis Crusade of 1270, Lower brings Arabic and European-language sources together to offer a panoramic view of these complex multilateral conflicts. Standing at the intersection of two established bodies of scholarship—European History and Near Eastern Studies—The Tunis Crusade of 1270, contributes to both by opening up a new conversation about the place of crusading in medieval Mediterranean culture.Less
Why did the last of the major European campaigns to reclaim Jerusalem wind up attacking Tunis, a peaceful North African port city thousands of miles from the Holy Land? In the first book-length study of the campaign in English, Michael Lower tells the story of how the classic era of crusading came to such an unexpected end. Unfolding against a backdrop of conflict and collaboration that extended from England to Inner Asia, the Tunis Crusade entangled people from every corner of the Mediterranean world. Within this expansive geographical playing field, the ambitions of four powerful Mediterranean dynasts would collide. While the slave-boy-turned-sultan Baybars of Egypt and the saint-king Louis IX of France waged a bitter battle for Syria, al-Mustansir of Tunis and Louis’s younger brother Charles of Anjou struggled for control of the Sicilian Straits. When the conflicts over Syria and Sicily became intertwined in the late 1260s, the Tunis Crusade was the shocking result. While the history of the crusades is often told only from the crusaders’ perspective, in The Tunis Crusade of 1270, Lower brings Arabic and European-language sources together to offer a panoramic view of these complex multilateral conflicts. Standing at the intersection of two established bodies of scholarship—European History and Near Eastern Studies—The Tunis Crusade of 1270, contributes to both by opening up a new conversation about the place of crusading in medieval Mediterranean culture.
Jane Hwang Degenhardt
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748640843
- eISBN:
- 9780748651597
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748640843.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, 16th-century and Renaissance Literature
This chapter discusses genre as an alternative to assessing the racial and gendered stakes of Christian-Muslim conversion. It studies what happens when a romance plot is forced into a tragicomic ...
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This chapter discusses genre as an alternative to assessing the racial and gendered stakes of Christian-Muslim conversion. It studies what happens when a romance plot is forced into a tragicomic structure and reveals the inability of the early modern stage to visualize Christian redemption for a female character after Islamic sexual contamination. The chapter also determines a slippage between embodiment and spirituality — or religious and racial identity — that is crucially mediated via the generic structures of plays.Less
This chapter discusses genre as an alternative to assessing the racial and gendered stakes of Christian-Muslim conversion. It studies what happens when a romance plot is forced into a tragicomic structure and reveals the inability of the early modern stage to visualize Christian redemption for a female character after Islamic sexual contamination. The chapter also determines a slippage between embodiment and spirituality — or religious and racial identity — that is crucially mediated via the generic structures of plays.
Joseph Ellul
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780823243198
- eISBN:
- 9780823243235
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823243198.003.0027
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
The Dominican, Ellul, begins the chapter with an excursus on the historical relationship of his native Malta with Islam and Muslims. This history, combined with migration and contemporary relations ...
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The Dominican, Ellul, begins the chapter with an excursus on the historical relationship of his native Malta with Islam and Muslims. This history, combined with migration and contemporary relations with the Arab world, colours the island’s Christian-Muslim relations. The author’s own life fits into the pattern with family links to Libya and an initiation into Islamic studies at IDEO before going for formal studies to PISAI. Teaching assignments in Rome and Malta, collaborative work with the PCID and local Muslim-Christian dialogue on Malta shape the engagement. The chapter charts the proud history of Dominican involvement in the field since the 13th century, notes with approval a speech by Pope Benedict XVI in Cologne, and points the way to a future based on reconciliation, acceptance, human dignity and mutual trust before God as two religious communities.Less
The Dominican, Ellul, begins the chapter with an excursus on the historical relationship of his native Malta with Islam and Muslims. This history, combined with migration and contemporary relations with the Arab world, colours the island’s Christian-Muslim relations. The author’s own life fits into the pattern with family links to Libya and an initiation into Islamic studies at IDEO before going for formal studies to PISAI. Teaching assignments in Rome and Malta, collaborative work with the PCID and local Muslim-Christian dialogue on Malta shape the engagement. The chapter charts the proud history of Dominican involvement in the field since the 13th century, notes with approval a speech by Pope Benedict XVI in Cologne, and points the way to a future based on reconciliation, acceptance, human dignity and mutual trust before God as two religious communities.
David Marshall
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780823243198
- eISBN:
- 9780823243235
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823243198.003.0029
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Marshall, a priest of the Church of England, began his encounter with Islamic studies at Oxford, before moving to Selly Oak and a doctorate on Qur’anic themes. Inspired by his English mentor, Kenneth ...
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Marshall, a priest of the Church of England, began his encounter with Islamic studies at Oxford, before moving to Selly Oak and a doctorate on Qur’anic themes. Inspired by his English mentor, Kenneth Cragg, amongst others, a pressing need to explore more deeply central Christian doctrines in the light of Islam is outlined, which resulted eventually in training other Christian ministers to respond to Islam with confidence, humility and academic rigour. A textually-orientated theologian, the author worked on the writings on Christianity of Isma’il al-Faruqi. An appointment to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s staff led to a leading role as academic director of the Building Bridges seminar, many opportunities to teach in Christian seminaries, and to guide the development of the National Christian-Muslim Forum to work at grass-roots level.Less
Marshall, a priest of the Church of England, began his encounter with Islamic studies at Oxford, before moving to Selly Oak and a doctorate on Qur’anic themes. Inspired by his English mentor, Kenneth Cragg, amongst others, a pressing need to explore more deeply central Christian doctrines in the light of Islam is outlined, which resulted eventually in training other Christian ministers to respond to Islam with confidence, humility and academic rigour. A textually-orientated theologian, the author worked on the writings on Christianity of Isma’il al-Faruqi. An appointment to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s staff led to a leading role as academic director of the Building Bridges seminar, many opportunities to teach in Christian seminaries, and to guide the development of the National Christian-Muslim Forum to work at grass-roots level.
Christian W. Troll and C. T. R. Hewer
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780823243198
- eISBN:
- 9780823243235
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823243198.003.0030
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
In the final chapter, the editors attempt to draw out pointers from the foregoing. These include: the importance of Centres for Christian-Muslim study and inspirational teachers, the crucial role ...
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In the final chapter, the editors attempt to draw out pointers from the foregoing. These include: the importance of Centres for Christian-Muslim study and inspirational teachers, the crucial role played by ecclesiastical documents, visionary leaders and solid theology in delineating the vision, the contribution of Catholic religious orders to supply and support personnel and the sacrificial dedication needed for the work, the way in which this apostolate can be seen as priestly ministry, the need for serious study of languages and theology, the demand for a new generation of teachers and the resources to support their work, the requirement for an appropriate spirituality to nourish students and teachers, the crucial role played by studying with Muslim teachers and fellow-students so that the friendships thus engendered can provide an intuitive knowledge of the lived faith of the other, and finally the need for a Kingdom-orientated theology of mission to feed into the wider Church.Less
In the final chapter, the editors attempt to draw out pointers from the foregoing. These include: the importance of Centres for Christian-Muslim study and inspirational teachers, the crucial role played by ecclesiastical documents, visionary leaders and solid theology in delineating the vision, the contribution of Catholic religious orders to supply and support personnel and the sacrificial dedication needed for the work, the way in which this apostolate can be seen as priestly ministry, the need for serious study of languages and theology, the demand for a new generation of teachers and the resources to support their work, the requirement for an appropriate spirituality to nourish students and teachers, the crucial role played by studying with Muslim teachers and fellow-students so that the friendships thus engendered can provide an intuitive knowledge of the lived faith of the other, and finally the need for a Kingdom-orientated theology of mission to feed into the wider Church.
Walter D. Ward
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780520283770
- eISBN:
- 9780520959521
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520283770.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter moves beyond the chronological and geographic parameters of the rest of the book to describe the broader implications of the Christian application of the word “Saracens” to Muslims. ...
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This chapter moves beyond the chronological and geographic parameters of the rest of the book to describe the broader implications of the Christian application of the word “Saracens” to Muslims. Contemporaries of the Muslim invasion, such as the Patriarch of Jerusalem Sophronius, initially did not comprehend that the invasions were launched by followers of a new religion and called them Saracens, thinking that they were just ordinary nomadic raiders. Once it became clear that the Muslim attacks were something different, the term stuck, and some Christians engaged in polemical arguments with tropes previously connected to the pre-Islamic Saracen image. Authors, such as John of Damascus, wrapped these rhetorical descriptions together into a neat package, defining the standard Christian understanding of Islam for centuries. This chapter also examines the transformations of the Sinai after the Muslim conquest, and concludes with a brief discussion of Christian-Muslim relations.Less
This chapter moves beyond the chronological and geographic parameters of the rest of the book to describe the broader implications of the Christian application of the word “Saracens” to Muslims. Contemporaries of the Muslim invasion, such as the Patriarch of Jerusalem Sophronius, initially did not comprehend that the invasions were launched by followers of a new religion and called them Saracens, thinking that they were just ordinary nomadic raiders. Once it became clear that the Muslim attacks were something different, the term stuck, and some Christians engaged in polemical arguments with tropes previously connected to the pre-Islamic Saracen image. Authors, such as John of Damascus, wrapped these rhetorical descriptions together into a neat package, defining the standard Christian understanding of Islam for centuries. This chapter also examines the transformations of the Sinai after the Muslim conquest, and concludes with a brief discussion of Christian-Muslim relations.
José Martínez Gázquez
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780823263868
- eISBN:
- 9780823266302
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823263868.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
Examines the diffusion throughout Western Europe of Latin translations of Islamic texts, such as the Qur’an, the Doctrina Mochometi, and the Liber scale Machometi. The Latin translations of the ...
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Examines the diffusion throughout Western Europe of Latin translations of Islamic texts, such as the Qur’an, the Doctrina Mochometi, and the Liber scale Machometi. The Latin translations of the Qur’an by Robert of Ketton (1143), and by Marcos of Toledo (1210), and of the Liber scale Machometi by Bonaventure of Siena (1263) could have been known to Dante. Dante’s master, Brunetto Latini, was ambassador to the court of King Alfonso X the Wise. Also in Florence at the time of Dante were Riccoldo of Monte Croce and Ramón Martí, who had deep familiarity with texts translated in Spain, and drew on them in their polemics against Islam.Less
Examines the diffusion throughout Western Europe of Latin translations of Islamic texts, such as the Qur’an, the Doctrina Mochometi, and the Liber scale Machometi. The Latin translations of the Qur’an by Robert of Ketton (1143), and by Marcos of Toledo (1210), and of the Liber scale Machometi by Bonaventure of Siena (1263) could have been known to Dante. Dante’s master, Brunetto Latini, was ambassador to the court of King Alfonso X the Wise. Also in Florence at the time of Dante were Riccoldo of Monte Croce and Ramón Martí, who had deep familiarity with texts translated in Spain, and drew on them in their polemics against Islam.
Kenneth Cragg
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780823243198
- eISBN:
- 9780823243235
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823243198.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Kenneth Cragg divided his life between the Arab world, North America and Europe as bishop and academic. He has been prolific in writing on Christian-Muslim themes. This chapter addresses themes from ...
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Kenneth Cragg divided his life between the Arab world, North America and Europe as bishop and academic. He has been prolific in writing on Christian-Muslim themes. This chapter addresses themes from the perspective of both faiths, including the relationship of all humanity to God, scripture, human weakness, the relationship between dialogue and witness, and the centrality of Joseph/Yusuf as a common figure of forbearance in our world. The chapter touches on the clarification of terms, the secular encounter, the consequences for power of the migration from Mecca to Medina and the contemporary consequences of violence. Emphasis is given to the importance of the Meccan model for the contemporary global situation and for inter-faith dialogue.Less
Kenneth Cragg divided his life between the Arab world, North America and Europe as bishop and academic. He has been prolific in writing on Christian-Muslim themes. This chapter addresses themes from the perspective of both faiths, including the relationship of all humanity to God, scripture, human weakness, the relationship between dialogue and witness, and the centrality of Joseph/Yusuf as a common figure of forbearance in our world. The chapter touches on the clarification of terms, the secular encounter, the consequences for power of the migration from Mecca to Medina and the contemporary consequences of violence. Emphasis is given to the importance of the Meccan model for the contemporary global situation and for inter-faith dialogue.
Maurice Borrmans
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780823243198
- eISBN:
- 9780823243235
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823243198.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Borrmans spent his life at PISAI, the Catholic centre for Islamic studies in Rome, after studies in his native France, Tunisia and Algeria. This chapter covers sixty years of engagement in the ...
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Borrmans spent his life at PISAI, the Catholic centre for Islamic studies in Rome, after studies in his native France, Tunisia and Algeria. This chapter covers sixty years of engagement in the crucible of Christian-Muslim relations in the spirit of Vatican II as a member of the Missionaries of Africa. A particular relationship is charted with great Francophone contributors such as Anawati, Arkoun and Louis Massignon, the great scholar of al-Hallaj. At the centre of dialogue in the Church, an involvement with PCID and the Journées Romaines come alive through personal experience. At the heart of this Christian experience lies the spiritual encounter with Islam for the service of all, the fulfilment of the world and genuine human co-operation before God.Less
Borrmans spent his life at PISAI, the Catholic centre for Islamic studies in Rome, after studies in his native France, Tunisia and Algeria. This chapter covers sixty years of engagement in the crucible of Christian-Muslim relations in the spirit of Vatican II as a member of the Missionaries of Africa. A particular relationship is charted with great Francophone contributors such as Anawati, Arkoun and Louis Massignon, the great scholar of al-Hallaj. At the centre of dialogue in the Church, an involvement with PCID and the Journées Romaines come alive through personal experience. At the heart of this Christian experience lies the spiritual encounter with Islam for the service of all, the fulfilment of the world and genuine human co-operation before God.
Sigvard von Sicard
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780823243198
- eISBN:
- 9780823243235
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823243198.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
The spirit of Africa was imbibed by von Sicard, who grew up there and studied in South Africa before moving on to Uppsala, Hartford, and Cairo. The journey is marked by figures like Tor Andrae, F.A. ...
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The spirit of Africa was imbibed by von Sicard, who grew up there and studied in South Africa before moving on to Uppsala, Hartford, and Cairo. The journey is marked by figures like Tor Andrae, F.A. Klein, the shaykhs of al-Azhar and Sayyid Akhtar Rizvi of the Bilal Mission and immersion in Swahili language and culture. It is argued that the days of polemic and apologetic are past, to be replaced by diapraxis–growing through shared social action for the common good – and an open, sincere experience of intellectual, spiritual and humanist dimensions. The shared languages should be used to promote Christian-Muslim understanding. Human growth is directed towards God-consciousness. This is the African approach to which we are called: a sincere respect for the views and ways of others.Less
The spirit of Africa was imbibed by von Sicard, who grew up there and studied in South Africa before moving on to Uppsala, Hartford, and Cairo. The journey is marked by figures like Tor Andrae, F.A. Klein, the shaykhs of al-Azhar and Sayyid Akhtar Rizvi of the Bilal Mission and immersion in Swahili language and culture. It is argued that the days of polemic and apologetic are past, to be replaced by diapraxis–growing through shared social action for the common good – and an open, sincere experience of intellectual, spiritual and humanist dimensions. The shared languages should be used to promote Christian-Muslim understanding. Human growth is directed towards God-consciousness. This is the African approach to which we are called: a sincere respect for the views and ways of others.
Lucie Pruvost
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780823243198
- eISBN:
- 9780823243235
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823243198.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Pruvost was born in Algeria and imbibed Muslim practice through observation before she became a White Sister and subsequently devoted herself to the study of Shari'a in Tunisia and a teaching career ...
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Pruvost was born in Algeria and imbibed Muslim practice through observation before she became a White Sister and subsequently devoted herself to the study of Shari'a in Tunisia and a teaching career in PISAI and Algiers. Specialism in the field of women in Islam brought a particular contribution to Christian-Muslim relations. A range of theological themes naturally arose, such as the person of Jesus, the triune nature of God and the place of Islam in salvation. Importance is attached to the missionary experience leading to the Vatican II teaching in Nostra Aetate and the speeches of Pope John Paul II. Eloquent evidence is given of the importance of living and studying alongside Muslims and Christian reflection thereon.Less
Pruvost was born in Algeria and imbibed Muslim practice through observation before she became a White Sister and subsequently devoted herself to the study of Shari'a in Tunisia and a teaching career in PISAI and Algiers. Specialism in the field of women in Islam brought a particular contribution to Christian-Muslim relations. A range of theological themes naturally arose, such as the person of Jesus, the triune nature of God and the place of Islam in salvation. Importance is attached to the missionary experience leading to the Vatican II teaching in Nostra Aetate and the speeches of Pope John Paul II. Eloquent evidence is given of the importance of living and studying alongside Muslims and Christian reflection thereon.
Jan Slomp
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780823243198
- eISBN:
- 9780823243235
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823243198.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Slomp grew up in the shadow of the War in his native Netherlands, where he studied before formative experiences at Bossey under the aegis of the WCC. The Christian ecumenical movement and the Student ...
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Slomp grew up in the shadow of the War in his native Netherlands, where he studied before formative experiences at Bossey under the aegis of the WCC. The Christian ecumenical movement and the Student Christian Movement played important roles before going to Pakistan where he was involved in controversy over the Gospel of Barnabas. The development of a new spirit of mission and the importance of Christian discernment were critical in seeking new directions within the Reformed Churches and the Council of European Churches. The chapter emphasises the role of academic and linguistic rigour as well as the means of sustaining Christian faith in Christian-Muslim relations. Christian lay people and ministers require adequate education and training for the new challenges that face them. A life interwoven with critical figures and institutions concerning Islam in Europe!Less
Slomp grew up in the shadow of the War in his native Netherlands, where he studied before formative experiences at Bossey under the aegis of the WCC. The Christian ecumenical movement and the Student Christian Movement played important roles before going to Pakistan where he was involved in controversy over the Gospel of Barnabas. The development of a new spirit of mission and the importance of Christian discernment were critical in seeking new directions within the Reformed Churches and the Council of European Churches. The chapter emphasises the role of academic and linguistic rigour as well as the means of sustaining Christian faith in Christian-Muslim relations. Christian lay people and ministers require adequate education and training for the new challenges that face them. A life interwoven with critical figures and institutions concerning Islam in Europe!
