Reconciling Islam, Christianity and Judaism: Islam’s Special Role in Restoring Convivencia
Feb 2015 · Springer
Ebook
137
Pages
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
At the present time, when so-called Islamic radicalism, terrorism and Jihadism occupy major media space, with Islam often depicted as the main culprit, the book attempts a tour de force. It proposes that Islam is as much victim as culprit in the history that has led to the current hostility. This is because the common claims of both mainstream and radical Islam that Islam represents the high point of the Abrahamic tradition, and therefore a purification of Judaism and Christianity, have been largely ignored, misunderstood or blatantly rejected by these faiths and therefore by ‘the West’ in general. This rejection has effectively rendered Islam as the poor cousin, if not the illegitimate sibling, of the tradition. In turn, this has created long-term resentment and hostility within Islam as well as robbed the ‘Judaeo-Christian West’ of a rich, inter-faith understanding of the wider Abrahamic tradition. The book explores these claims through textual, historical and theological analyses, proposing that many of them stand up better to critical scrutiny than has been commonly acknowledged. It further proposes that seeing Islam in this way has potential to re-awaken its self-understanding as a leader of accord among the Abrahamic faiths, of the kind that characterized the era of Convivencia when, in medieval Spain, Islam constructed and contributed to advanced civilizations characterized by relatively harmonious co-existence between Muslims, Christians and Jews. The book focuses on the role that a more respected and self-confident Islam could play in forging enhanced inter-faith relations in a world that desperately needs them as it struggles to understand and deal with modern and particularly vicious forms of radical Islamism.
About the author
Terence Lovat is Emeritus Professor (Philosophy, Religion and Theology) at the University of Newcastle, Australia and Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University, UK. He is a former Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean at Newcastle, currently holding a full-time research position. One of his main areas of research (incl. funded) involves Islam with particular attention to its relationship with Judaeo-Christianity and ‘Western’ civilization. He has won awards from Islamic groups for his work on Islam. Robert Crotty is Emeritus Professor (Religion and Education) at the University of South Australia. He is an eminent biblical studies scholar whose work has focused principally on the Abrahamic religions and their interface. He has written many books on Judaism, Christianity and has publications on Islam, including on the enigmatic role of Hagar, the Arabic wife of Abraham and mother of his first-born, Ishmael. Hagar and Ishmael constitute iconic sacred figures of both mainstream and radical Islam.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
