Christian-Muslim Relations Research Articles

Secularity and Muslim-Christian Relations in Uganda

Abstract The article reconstructs aspects of the secularizing project of the British colonial administration in Uganda by exploring how state regulatory practices in the field of Western school education set the conditions for two forms of religious difference: first, relations between Muslims as members of a religious minority and the Christian majority, and second, dynamics among Muslims that transpired not only in leadership competition but also in controversies over education and proper religious practice. Focusing on the intersections between a state regulatory regime and the activities of Muslims who claimed religious and political leadership on behalf of other Muslims in the areas of Buganda and Bugisu, the article argues that these Muslim intellectuals mediated and contributed to the colonial administration’s production of Muslims as a religious minority. As articulators of Islam, they (re)formulated and debated the forms and purpose of Muslim education and partly novel understandings of proper religious practice, and what it means to be a modern, pious Muslim in the new colonial order. Their political aspirations were hampered, not only as a direct consequence of the colonial administration’s production of systematic inequalities between Christians and Muslims, but also as a result of the dynamics of intra-Muslim plurality.

From Daʿwah to Shahādah: A Move beyond Vatican II and the Common Word

The Second Vatican Council and the Common Word document constitute turning points in the history of Christian–Muslim Relations. Nostra Aetate and Lumen Gentium appealed to a shared Abrahamic heritage between Christianity and Islam, and the Common Word appealed to a God-based theology, as opposed to the long-standing Prophet-based theology. Authorities in both traditions did so in the search for a shared theological foundation. While the article recognizes the vitality of the two steps, it equally recognizes that there is still much that can be done to advance Christian–Muslim relations. In this context, this article aims to achieve three primary goals: first, to demonstrate the successes of the two initiatives; second, to critically engage with them by examining their limitations; and third, to suggest “practical theology” as a medium through which the aspirations of Vatican II and the Common Word can reach a greater audience. In doing so, it proposes the concept of shahādah “bearing witness”, as opposed to the Islamic concept of daʿwah “making invitation” and the Christian concepts of preaching and messianism.

Moving Beyond a Missionary Model to Muslims? Considering J. Dudley Woodberry Today

This article situates J. Dudley Woodberry as an exemplar of scholarly evangelical engagement with Islam while suggesting some limitations of his approach for mission today. After a brief sketch of Woodberry’s earliest steps into scholarship, the article locates his contributions to Islamic Studies against the backdrop of developments in the field with specific attention paid to his engagement with lived Islam. It then interacts with responses to Woodberry’s work and reassesses its relevance for Christian mission among Muslims at present. Finally, this article constructively appropriates Woodberry’s ideas to suggest further steps in Christian-Muslim relations through the practice of comparative theology.

Shiʿite Rulers, Sunni Rivals, and Christians in Between: Muslim-Christian Relations in Fāṭimid Palestine and Egypt. By Steven Gertz. Islamic History and Thought 32. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2023. xii + 185 pp. $95.00 cloth.

Shiʿite Rulers, Sunni Rivals, and Christians in Between: Muslim-Christian Relations in Fāṭimid Palestine and Egypt. By Steven Gertz. Islamic History and Thought 32. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2023. xii + 185 pp. $95.00 cloth.

Inter-Religious Social Prejudice among Indonesian Muslim Students

Indonesia is a nation marked by extensive diversity encompassing a myriad of languages, ethnicities, and religious affiliations. While some studies support the positive implications associated with this diversity, others argue that it harbors the potential for social discord, particularly within distinct religious communities. This research aims to scrutinize the dynamics of mature religious sentiment and Islamic knowledge concerning Muslim-Christian relations, specifically exploring their impact on social prejudice among Muslim students, who constitute the majority and hold prejudicial views towards Christians. The investigation was conducted among Muslim students aged 18-22 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia (N = 254). Employing the structural equation model (SEM) technique for analysis, the findings reveal that mature religious sentiment exerts a direct influence on social prejudice, both independently and mediated through the agreeableness trait. Additionally, Islamic knowledge pertaining to the Muslim-Christian relationship directly influences social prejudice without the intermediary of agreeableness.

A New Spirit in Christian-Muslim Relations in India. Three Jesuit Pioneers, written by Joseph Victor Edwin

A New Spirit in Christian-Muslim Relations in India. Three Jesuit Pioneers, written by Joseph Victor Edwin

Dispensable and Inconsequential? Reflections on the Value of Tolerance in Interreligious Relations and Dialogue

In current intellectual discourse, some scholars believe tolerance is unnecessary to interreligious interaction, viewing it either as veiled indifference toward others and their religious idiosyncrasies, or as crude relativism rooted in denial of the truthclaims and moral obligations of religious traditions. This essay addresses these ideas, and explores the possible connotations and hermeneutics of tolerance, providing a fresh reading of its role and value within interreligious relations and dialogue. It proposes a new status for tolerance, by exploring its potential meanings and values in perception of the self, and not just of the other. It then examines Christian-Muslim relations in Middle Eastern history and their notion of tolerance and reinterprets it in light of the Qur’anic notion of ‘la ikrah’. A re-conception of tolerance is proposed, which invokes a new understanding of religiosity and religious affiliation: being tolerant in interreligious relations and dialogue means being one’s true religious self.

Muslim-Christian and Missiological Discourses on Cultural Identity in Maluku, Eastern Indonesia

Abstract This article is an imaginary dialogue that is critical of the thoughts of Arnold N. Radjawane, theologian and pastor of the Protestant Church of Maluku (GPM). This is shown in one of the articles he wrote in the 1960s. For some Muslim clerics in Maluku, the article reveals the idea of Christianization through local culture in Maluku, which they believe had hardened Christian-Muslim cultural relations in Maluku. By utilizing hermeneutic and cultural studies, I will analyze the construction of ethnic and religious identity ideas that are affected by his theological ideas. I apply a contemporary mission perspective that dialectically places Christian-Muslim relations as a form of identity negotiation, which has implications for strengthening cultural dialogue and encourages contextual theological processes for the establishment of human relations in Maluku and Indonesia as a multicultural society.

Christian-Muslim Relations in the Second Half of 19th Century India in View of Syed Nāṣir-ul-Dīn Muḥammad Abūlmanṣūr Dehlvī (d. 1903)

The current study examined the nature of Christian-Muslim relationships in 19th-century India. It is argued that their relationships were largely shaped in the context of the polemical debates that were developed to defend the teachings and tenets of their respective religions. Syed Nāṣir-ul-Dīn Muḥammad Abūlmanṣūr Dehlvī (d. 1903) was a polemical Muslim writer who wrote approximately 25 books in the refutation of Christianity. He also defended the religion of Islam; however, his work remains in oblivion. The primary objective of the current research was to analyse Dehlvī's major works dedicated to refute Christianity and to assess their significance. This research holds importance under two key reasons. Firstly, it sheds light on the nature of Christian-Muslim relationships during the 19th century and secondly, it highlights the significance of Muslim writings about other religions, particularly Christianity, in the modern world. The research concluded that while the polemical technique, due to its confrontational aspect, may no longer be the primary method of religious studies. The texts, however, generated through this approach can still be significant resources for students and academics since they offer opportunities for critical thinking, historical investigation, and a better understanding of intricate relationships that exist between religious traditions. Therefore, polemical writings play a significant role in advancing the academic knowledge in the field of religious studies.

Lives of Patriarchs, Lives of Qadis: Reading the Abbasid Sources of the “History of the Patriarchs” as Islamicate Texts

Abstract This article discusses the literary representation of religious leadership in the Siyar al-bīʿa al-muqaddasa, also known as “History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria”. It suggests reading accounts on early Muslim rule within the frameworks of Islamicate literature from the Abbasid and the Fatimid periods, when the collection was created, also considering successive layers of redaction. This approach contrasts with a more conventional way of reading such texts as historical sources on Christian-Muslim relations and as witnesses of the early Islamic period. By comparing stories of patriarchs and rulers with stories about qadis and rulers, the article highlights the importance of framing early Islamicate Christian sources in relation to a broader cultural context and historical developments, without exaggerating their early dating. Finally, it proposes that there is historical meaning to be found in the display of linguistic and narrative anachronisms.

Stationed at the Gateway

Abstract As a missionary with the Church Missionary Society, Claud Field lived and worked in Peshawar between the years of 1892 and 1903. At the time, Peshawar was a geopolitically sensitive and missionally strategic city, and subsequent to Field’s missionary years there, he began writing and translating publications relating to the history of mission, the Afghan people and culture, notable figures of Islamic history, and Christian-Muslim relations. However, Field is little known today. This research introduces Field and a historical puzzle regarding his shift in tone, reviews his first five published books, analyses the import of the books for his time, offers an explanation to the historical puzzle, and concludes with a call for further research into Field’s life and publications. These findings help to begin filling the gap of historical research and literary criticism of Field’s corpus of works.

Towards an ‘Interfaith Nationalism’? Christians and Their Relations to Muslims in the History Textbooks of the Syrian Arab Republic

This study examines how Christian–Muslim relations are presented in Syrian history textbooks and deployed by the embattled regime of Bashar al-Asad in its quest for legitimacy both at home and abroad since the eruption of the war that displaced half the country’s population. To that end, Critical Discourse Analysis is applied to selected texts from the school curricula stressing the harmonious coexistence between the country’s only two officially recognized faiths (Islam and Christianity), in addition to the Syrian Christians’ commitment to national unity from time immemorial, as nationalist discourses retrospectively assert. The historical narratives in question are juxtaposed with the ideological inconsistencies of the Arab nationalist Ba’th party that has ruled Syria since 1963 vis-à-vis religious sects and minorities, while being discussed against the backdrop of the recent geopolitical developments.

The mixed marriages and their effect on Christian-Muslim relations in Bulo Sub-County Uganda

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of mixed marriages on Christian-Muslim Relations in Bulo Sub-County, Uganda. The study aims at establishing an understanding of marriage and mixed marriages among Christians and Muslims in Bulo Sub-County. It assesses the impact of challenges in mixed marriages on Christian-Muslim Relations and finally identifies solutions to mixed marriage challenges in Bulo Sub-County. The study used a descriptive survey design that combined quantitative and qualitative approaches to collect data. The sampling technique employed was the non-probability sampling technique, while the instruments for data collection were interviews and questionnaires using simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques. The data was analysed using thematic methods. Marriage in Christianity is a lifelong monogamous covenant between a man and a woman, whereas Islamic marriage is a contract between a woman and a man called nikah. The mixed marriage challenges like differences in religious beliefs and practices such as dress code, dowry (mahr) payment and remittance, maintenance, threats of violence, discrimination and religious sanctions will lead to poor Christian-Muslim relations unless massive capacity building on freedom of religion and beliefs is done or establishment of interfaith dialogue centres in Bulo Sub–County to address marriage and family issues before the problem ruptures to the community.

Religious Attitudes in the Middle Ages

A casual glance at the Middle Ages reveals a period of varying religious encounters and attitudes that provide fundamental models that continue to shape and drive Christian-Muslim relations today. The Middle Ages mark the period in the history of the world where Christianity and Islam first encountered each other. The exclusivist crusaders of Western Europe arrived in Palestine and the Middle East in a multi-religious context, which permitted Jews, Christians, and Muslims to co-exist peacefully. The paper, finally, argues that the religious encounters and attitudes of the Middle Ages offer a socio-religious platform with enormous lessons for Christian-Muslim relations of the religiously pluralistic and increasingly secularized sub-Saharan Africa in the twenty-first century world.

Pope Benedict and Muslim–Christian Dialogue

ABSTRACT Following the death of Pope Benedict (formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) on 31 December 2022, many reflected on his legacy and impact. This article aims to examine his contribution to and impact on Islamic–Christian dialogue by examining his writings, most notably the Regensburg address, as well as Dominus Iesus. The essay will also examine the approach to Muslim–Christian dialogue of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, and his successor, Pope Francis, in the process showing how these three pontiffs’ approaches to Islamic–Christian dialogue both build on and differ from one another. It will also consider how Catholic–Muslim dialogue continues to develop and how the papacy continues to adapt to changing contexts that shape its relations with Islam. It will look in particular at how Muslim–Catholic dialogue during the pontificate of John Paul II was shaped by Cold War concerns and, in contrast, how Benedict’s comments about Islam were shaped by and fed into the War on Terror discourse. It will then briefly make the argument that Francis, through his visits, most notably to Iraq in March of 2021, seems to be engaged in building a post-War on Terror phase of Muslim–Christian relations.

Entangled Pieties: Muslim–Christian Relations and Gendered Sociality in Java, Indonesia , by En-Chieh Chao

Entangled Pieties: Muslim–Christian Relations and Gendered Sociality in Java, Indonesia , by En-Chieh Chao

Entangled Pieties: Muslim–Christian Relations and Gendered Sociality in Java, Indonesia , by En-Chieh Chao

Entangled Pieties: Muslim–Christian Relations and Gendered Sociality in Java, Indonesia , by En-Chieh Chao

Entangled Pieties: Muslim–Christian Relations and Gendered Sociality in Java, Indonesia , by En-Chieh Chao

Entangled Pieties: Muslim–Christian Relations and Gendered Sociality in Java, Indonesia , by En-Chieh Chao

Entangled Pieties: Muslim–Christian Relations and Gendered Sociality in Java, Indonesia , by En-Chieh Chao

Entangled Pieties: Muslim–Christian Relations and Gendered Sociality in Java, Indonesia , by En-Chieh Chao

Precarious Coexistence in Maluku: Fear and Trauma in Post-Conflict Christian-Muslim Relations

This paper examines the precarious coexistence between Muslims and Christians in post- conflict Maluku, Indonesia. The lasting effects of brutal conflict have left fear and trauma as the dominant emotions in the relationships of local residents. While these emotions are commonly seen as hindrances to peace by scholars and non-scholars alike, in post-conflict societies, they are inescapable and deeply ingrained. Nevertheless, they not only drive division, but also the desire to maintain peace. In Maluku, both Christians and Muslims are bound by the shared understanding that their current peaceful coexistence is delicate, and they must be cautious in their interactions with people of different religions, despite ongoing animosity and mistrust. This ongoing reality in Maluku calls for a reassessment of the normative tendency in peace discourses, which expect peace to be either ideal or impaired and tend not to be contextual in evaluating peace. To understand post-conflict coexistence better, we need to comprehend how emotions towards other groups operate in the emerging social settings.