Christian Muslim Cooperation: Pipedream or Real Possibility?
Christian Muslim Cooperation: Pipedream or Real Possibility?
By Wynn Wright
For: Research in the 21st Century: Spring 2007 WAOL Course
"Toleration isn't much. But it is the first step towards curiosity, interest, study, understanding, appreciating and finally valuing diversity. If we can get everyone on the first step of tolerance, at least we won't be killing each other." (Anon)
Introduction
In this post 9/11 world of the War on Terror and with War in Iraq currently raging, what is the possibility of cooperation between Christianity and Islam? There seems to be a lack of understanding between the two religions. Is Islam really the religion of terror or are the terrorists a small percentage of the many people who are Muslim? This is a global issue because both religions are a force in most regions of the world and come in contact frequently, whether it is violent or peaceful.
There is a history of peaceful coexistence between both religions in Africa, Asia and Europe that goes back hundreds of years. It has only been the onset of the fundamentalist movements of Christianity and Islam during the last 150-200 years that cooperation has become more difficult. Radical elements of both religions are attempting to drive a wedge between the two peoples. I have attempted to find common ground between Christianity and Islam despite the attempts of the fundamentalists to keep them apart. There are just as many organizations who are attempting to foster understanding between the two religions as there are trying to drive a wedge between the two. It is my hope that, with this research, there can be more dialogue and less violence. The goal is for both religions to respect their differences and celebrate their similarities.
Topic Analysis
Academic Disciplines:
The following academic disciplines cover the scope of the research.
Religion
History
Culture
Library of Congress Subject Headings:
Philosophy, Psychology, Religion
Library of Congress Classifications :
B -- PHILOSOPHY. PSYCHOLOGY. RELIGION
Subclass BJ Ethics
BJ1188-1295 Religious ethics
Subclass BL 410 Religions in Relation to One Another
Subclass BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc.
BP1-68 General
BP87-89 Islamic literature
BP171-173 Relation of Islam to other religions
Subclass BR Christianity
BR1-1725 Christianity
BR1610 Tolerance and toleration
Key Terms:
I used the following key terms, either by themselves or in combination, while searching in online data bases, libraries and the web.
• Christianity
• Islam
• Globalization
• Cooperation
• Reconciliation
• Terrorism
• Culture
• Religion
• Fundamentalism
• Christian Muslim Cooperation
• Christian Muslim Relations
Data Bases and periodical indexes used:
ProQuest
Academic Search Premier
Description of keyword search strategy:
I had no difficulty identifying key terms or finding subject areas in the Library of Congress Subject Headings. The key terms and subject headings are very straight forward for my topic. When I went to the academic library and did a search for materials (and received help from the reference librarian), I found quite a bit of material in the Psychology, Philosophy, and Religion (LC heading “B”) section. I also was able to find very good resources on the web and in data bases with the key terms I identified. The only problem I had was finding recent books on Christian Muslim relations. The most recent material was available through the web or research data bases.
References Sources
Organizations:
Interfaith Works
http://www.amtcoly.org/index.html
P.O. Box 1221
Olympia, WA 98507
360-357-7224
Interfaith Works in a non-profit association of faith communities whose mission is to nurture and promote interfaith understanding, respect and action on social issues. Programs include “Study Circles for Interfaith Dialogue” and “Interfaith Expressions.” “Interfaith Expressions” includes a series of lectures, workshops and interactive programs designed explore issues of faith and interfaith. “Study Circles for Interfaith Dialogue” are a way for people to get to know neighbors and understand spiritual paths. This organization works to take positive steps in fostering interfaith relationships.
Prince Awaked Bin Talal Center for Christian-Muslim Understanding
http://cmcu.georgetown.edu/
Georgetown University
ICC 260
Washington, D.C. 20057
Phone: 202-687-8375
The center for Christian-Muslim Understanding was founded in 1993 to build a stronger understanding between the West and the Muslim world as well as between Christianity and Islam. The Center is working to address such issues as stereotyping of Islam and Muslims and how Islam and modern life could be compatible. Since the founding of the Center, it has become internationally acknowledged as a leader in the field of Christian-Muslim relations.
Statistics:
National & World Religion Statistics - Church Statistics - World Religions. 19 April 2007. 20 May 2007.
This website was complied by Preston Hunter, who has a B.S. degree in Conservation Biology and a minor in Linguistics. He has an interest in comparative/world religion and decided to gather information on the world’s religions into one comprehensive list. Mr. Hunter collected the data himself, from a variety of sources including books, academic journals, periodicals and the World Wide Web. I went through some of his statistic listings and he has them listed for as many major religions as possible, including smaller divisions of those religions. Christianity and Islam, the main focus of my research, are listed with the adherents broken down in places from continents to countries to individual states of the United States. All listings are presented chronologically with full sources (links to websites, books where the stats were found, etc.) included. This site is essential to my research because it is important to know how many people are Christian and Muslim.
Reference Articles:
McClymond, Michael J. "Christianity." Encyclopaedia of Religious Practices. New York: Thomson Gale. 2006
Mr. McClymond, a Clarence Louis and Helen Irene Steber Professor of Theological Studies at Saint Louis University in Missouri, surveys the overall Christian religion. He covers all aspects including history, central doctrines, moral code of conduct, sacred symbols, early and modern leaders, major theologians and authors, organizational structure, houses of worship and holy places, what is sacred, holidays and festivals, mode of dress, dietary practices, rituals, rites of passage, membership. religious tolerance, social justice and aspects, controversial issues, and cultural impact. There is also a glossary of terms included. This is a very well written concise article, but there is no mention of Christian attitudes toward Islam except for a very brief reference to Korean, Brazilian and Chinese missionaries being sent out to try and convert Muslims. The religious tolerance section only mentions tolerance of religions within the Christian family and Judaism, no mention is made of tolerance toward Islam. However, this is a good article to find the basic tenets of Christianity and compare them with the tenets of Islam.
Esposito, John J. "Islam." Encyclopaedia of Religious Practices. New York: Thomas Gale. 2006
John Esposito, a professor at the School of Foreign Service and Theology at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., surveys the overall Islamic religion. In this article, Mr. Gale covers all aspects of Islam including history, central doctrines, moral code of conduct, sacred books, sacred symbols, early and modern leaders, major theologians and authors, organizational structure, houses of worship and holy places, what is sacred, holidays and festivals, mode of dress, dietary practices, rituals, rites of passage, membership, religious tolerance, social justice and aspects, controversial issues, and cultural impact. This article does include Muslim attitudes toward all other religions and how people of other religions are treated within the Muslim societies. This is a very well written, concise article on Islam and could be used with the other article on Christianity to compare and contrast the religions in order to find common ground for discussion.
Trifkovic, Srdja. "Islamic Values Are Incompatible with Western Values." Islam. Ed. Jennifer A. Hurley. Opposing Viewpoints®. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2001. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. The Libraries @ Seattle Comm. Coll. 22 May. 2007
Srdja Trifkovic, the executive director of the Lord Byron Foundation for Balkan Studies, wrote that Islamic and western Civilizations cannot peacefully coexist despite what many western politicians, and others, think. Trifkovic says Islam is an extreme religion whose goal is world domination and conversion of all non-Islamic peoples. This article is useful to my research because it graphically shows what adherents of cooperation are up against. The author compares Islam to Nazism and says that Christianity and Islam are not compatible in any way shape or form. This article is important to read to see the intolerance Muslims face in many parts of the world and how that intolerance can help the fundamentalist/radical factions of Islam spread their fear and terror.
Books:
Armstrong, Karen. The Battle for God. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000
Karen Armstrong, a former nun who has a degree from Oxford University and teaches at the Leo Baeck College for the Study of Judaism, discusses the emergence of fundamentalism in the three major world religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Part one of the book is a history of all three religions from 1492 to 1870. Part two focuses on fundamentalism in Christianity, Islam and Judaism from 1870-1999. Armstrong shows how and why fundamentalist groups came into existence and what they hoped to accomplish. Armstrong traces the development of fundamentalism chronologically, with the story of each religion written side-by-side rather than separately. The movements Armstrong chose to write about are American Protestant Fundamentalism, Jewish fundamentalism in Israel, Muslim Sunni fundamentalism in Egypt and Shii fundamentalism in Iran. This book will help with the premise that Christianity and Islam can possibly coexist by tracing their fundamentalist movements. The book includes a Glossary and Bibliography.
Goddard, Hugh. A History of Christian-Muslim Relations. Chicago: New Amsterdam Books, 2000
Hugh Goddard, a reader in Islamic Theology at the University of Nottingham, discusses the relationship between the Christian and Muslim worlds over the centuries. Over the course of those centuries, the balance of power between the two religions has shifted back and forth. There have been times when the Muslim world had the upper hand and other eras when the pendulum has swung the Christian’s way. This book was written before the 9/11 attacks of 2001, but it still will provide excellent insight on how relations between the worlds’ two largest religions have evolved over the years. This book includes maps, a chronology, and bibliography.
Sproul, R. C., and Abdul Saleeb. The Dark Side of Islam. Wheaton, Illinois. Crossway Books, 2003.
Dr. Sproul is the founder of Ligonier Ministries, a visiting professor a several seminaries and the host of a radio program syndicated on 800 stations. Abdul Saleeb (a pseudonym) was born in a Muslim country and later converted to Christianity. Mr. Saleeb is the co-author of Answering Islam and is a Christian missionary. This book attempts to answer the question “Is Islam a religion of peace or violence?” The authors look at both religions, especially investigating where Islam rejects the Christian faith at key points, including the deity of Christ and the authority of the Bible. This book is important because it spells out the fundamentalist Christian view of Islam. It also gives a counterpoint to my claim that the two religions can peacefully co-exist. This book includes notes (which lists books used as reference in lieu of a bibliography), a Scripture Index and a Qur’anic Index.
Periodical Articles:
Crockatt, Richard. “No common ground? Islam, anti-Americanism and the United States.” European Journal of American Culture. 23: 2 (2004): 125-142. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Publishing. Seattle Central Community College Library. 9 May 2007
Richard Crockatt, Professor of American History at the University of East Anglia, UK, where he has taught since 1978, asks whether common ground exists between the United States and the Islamic world after 9/11. He also discusses the possibility of that common ground expanding. He examines two possible models of US-Islamic relations: a conflict model or a cooperation model. Mr. Crockatt also discusses the positive and negative factors of such a relationship. The author sees a challenge in finding a workable solution to political problems while respecting the respective cultures. The ideas put forth in this article could help the issue of Islam/Christian cooperation.
Rubeiz, Ghassan. “Changes needed to facilitate reconciliation.” The Arab American News. Dearborn, Mich.: Oct 21-Oct 27, 2006. pg. 9, Proquest Information and Learning Company. Timberland Regional Library. 8 May 2007
Ghassan Rubiez, an Arab-American commentator and a former representative of the Middle East Council of Churches, talks about how extremists in both Christianity and Islam are discouraging reconciliation. Mr. Rubeiz also describes how these extremists “steal the show” in these days of political turmoil. Christians ask Muslims make their distaste for suicide bombers more known while Muslims ask Christians to watch extreme Evangelicals who are gaining influence in the West. The article is very good, concise, and well-written. It gets to the central core of the issue I am investigating.
Saahir, Imam Mikal. “Muhammed and Jesus: Both on same mission.” Recorder. Indianapolis, Ind.: Dec 8, 2006. B2. Proquest Information and Learning Company. Timberland Regional Library. 8 May 2007.
Mikal Saahir, an Imam (Islamic Minister) of the Nur-Allah Islamic center in Indianapolis, Indiana, discusses the similarities between Christianity and Islam. The author states “Jesus and Mohammed are not at odds with each other-why are we?” This is the central issue of my research. This short article asks the question: if both Mohammed and Jesus were sent by God to “save humanity,” why all the problems between the two religions?
Vogelaar, Harold. “Open Doors to Dialogue.” The Muslim World. 94: 3 (2004): 397-403. Proquest Information and Learning Company. Timberland Regional Library. 25 May 2007.
Harold Vogelaar, Director, A Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice and Emeritus professor of World Religions and Interfaith Dialogue at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Illinios, discusses how he believes the church (in his case Lutheran) needs to encourage dialogue on the level of faith if everyone is to have hope of living in peace with justice. He writes what is needed now is dialogue, not more military intervention or “war of ideas.” This article is at the heart of my thesis.
Web Sites:
Robinson, B. A.” Comparing Christianity and Islam: the world's two largest religions.” religioustolerance.org. 4 August 2001. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. 15 May 2007
This site is a comparison of Christianity and Islam which includes tables that have side-by-side comparisons of both religions and is produced and sponsored by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Most of the articles on this site are written by B. A. Robinson, an agnostic (and currently non-practicing Christian) who is the coordinator of the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. The site has several components including references to how each religion thinks about marriage, treatment of women, and how Jesus is viewed. The purpose of the organization is to foster religious tolerance. On the “about us” part of the web site, the authors state they do not expect every religion to be the same or have the same beliefs, they just want all the world’s religions to tolerate each other and respect their differences. The organization presents itself as truly objective in that the goal is not to convert anyone to any particular religion, but to foster tolerance of religion, be it Islam, Christianity, or Hinduism.
LaHurd, Carol Schersten. “Islam & Christianity” The Lutheran. March 2007. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 26 May 2007.
Carol LaHurd, an associate professor at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago and a coordinator of the ELCA Middle East Peace Strategy, writes about acknowledging devotion and differences to help foster understanding between Islam and Christianity. In the article, Ms LaHurd discusses the limited way Americans perceive Muslims. Americans see either the violence in the Middle East or a fully covered Muslim female shopper. Ms LaHurd actually lived in Syria, listening to the call of prayer from the prayer towers.. She describes her 25 years as a student of Islam, earning her doctorate, and teaching about Islam at the university level and participating in Christian-Muslim dialogue. The article emphasizes the similarities between the two religions and how the two religions can work to overcome the negative stereotypes that run rampant in both the Christian and Muslim worlds. This article runs counter to other sites put together by fundamentalist Christians who say there is no common ground. This article addresses the central theme of my thesis: Cooperation IS possible between Christianity and Islam?
“Fundamentalism: Contrasting Christianity and Islam.” Faithfacts.org. 2004. Gospel Communications Network. 26 May 2007.
There were no author(s) listed for this article, from Faithfacts.org, which only addresses the differences Islam and Christianity. The whole purpose of this article is to convince Muslims to convert to Christianity. In contrast to the article by Carol LaHurd, the author(s) of this article make little attempt to find common ground between Islam and Christianity. In fact, at the end of the article, they invite Muslims to, at least, consider the Christian religion. This approach can only hurt efforts to foster dialogue between the religions. I included this site to show alternative views to the possibility of Christian/Muslim dialogue.
Marion, John, Jr. “Tolerance between Christians and Muslims in America.” TruthforMuslims.com. 16 October 2006. Spear Ministries, Inc. 27 May 2007
John Marion, the project director of Truth for Muslims, asks the question “How can Muslims and
Christians live together while retaining their beliefs?” In the article, Mr Marion discusses such issues
as “mutually exclusive religions, intolerance, irreconcilable differences, and true tolerance and open conversion.” While most of the article talks about the differences between the two religions. Mr. Marion also offers suggestions, albeit at the end of the article, on how to honor and protect tolerance. While this article is just another way to try to convince Muslims to convert to Christianity, the author does not go the “fire-and-brimstone” route. He spells out how tolerance can be achieved, which is the crux of my investigation.
Non-Print/Alternative Sources:
“Bill Moyers on Faith and Reason.” Narr. Bill Moyers. DVD. PBS. 2006
Bill Moyers has worked for PBS for more than twenty years, narrating several television shows on such diverse topics as dying, addiction, and the power of myth. In this television mini-series, Moyers talks with writers from around the world to investigate whether fear and violence are a foregone conclusion of clashing beliefs or is toleration possible? This program looks into the relationship between fundamentalism and democracy and human rights and equality. The authors interviewed include Salmon Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, and Martin Amis. Topics addressed in this series include: “Freedom and Tolerance, Faith and Science, Belief and Doubt, and Faith and Politics.” This series is for anyone interested in fostering tolerance between religions. Excerpts are available to view via streaming video on the pbs.org website
Research Process
When I started the project, I decided to use the Internet, books, magazines, journals, and encyclopedias to find information. I did use Proquest and Ebsco databases for my research and found some very good articles (from magazines and journals) that I used in this Pathfinder. I also found three books at the local library. The only problem with the books I found was they were not very current. The books were useful in providing background information and an alternative point of view. I had more luck finding current information on research databases or the web. I had no real problems finding information (except for what I just described). I found more information using some of my key terms and less using others.
When I started this project, I wasn’t sure what kind of information I would find, but I was pleasantly surprised. The nature of my topic makes it easy to find information. I found information from people who wanted to find ways to foster cooperation between Islam and Christianity and people who feel this cooperation is either counter-productive or impossible. I have shown both sides in my Pathfinder. Since this topic is very current, I tried very hard to find the most current information as possible, especially from databases. I was successful.
As I was researching my topic, I found the Internet to be a valuable resource. This is not to say I didn’t find valuable information elsewhere, but I did find information on the internet that I wouldn’t have been able to find elsewhere. I did find some very good articles on data bases and some very good books to use as well. I found the Internet to as useful a resource as a data base, encyclopedia or a book especially in finding websites that covered both sides of the issue I was researching.
