Lucy Schouten

Embracing Hope-filled Hospitality Dr Steve Cochrane, University of the Nations The four-day visit of Pope Francis to Iraq in March 2021 was filled with indications of hope, whether in meetings with Christian communities or Muslim leaders. It was the first time in history that a pope had visited Iraq, conveying not only his own desires for a brighter future but the longings of many that have left the region in recent years as well as those remaining. The Christians of…

Note: This post accompanies the material for an online course in Christian-Muslim relations offered by staff at the University of Edinburgh. You can find more information about this course and its aims here. Many course participants expressed dismay about the issue of Christian-Muslim relations in Egypt. Comments suggested worry about the difficulties that Coptic Christians in rural areas of Egypt have faced in building churches, as well as in other areas of everyday life. This is despite the fact that the…

Note: This post accompanies the material for an online course in Christian-Muslim relations offered by staff at the University of Edinburgh. You can find more information about this course and its aims here. The third week of this course explored some of the earliest historical encounters between Christians and Muslims in the Middle East and Europe. This included a ‘virtual tour’ of contested religious sites in modern-day Turkey and Spain, but also an introduction to the history of Syriac Christianity. For…

Note: This post accompanies the material for an online course in Christian-Muslim relations offered by staff at the University of Edinburgh. You can find more information about this course and its aims here. This week’s course readings focused on the differences and similarities between the roles of Jesus Christ and the prophet Muhammad, as well as how Christians and Muslims have approached them throughout centuries of dialogue and polemic. Course participants read the differing accounts of Christ’s birth within Christian…

Note: This post accompanies the material for an online course in Christian-Muslim relations offered by staff at the University of Edinburgh. You can find more information about this course and its aims here. Participants on the course are diverse in terms of their geographic and faith background, and a mapping exercise in the course introduction helped to establish the breadth of global experience that participants bring to the course. This diversity was represented by the way that participants reflected on…

Relations with those of other faiths might once have seemed an unusual occupation. More recent times make interfaith engagement – both irenic and otherwise – a major factor in countries around the world. Far from diminishing the importance of place, the proliferation of interfaith engagements across borders means local history, politics, and expectations is as important as ever. Thus, critical engagement with Christian-Muslim Studies still requires a keen awareness of context. With that in mind, this post reflects on both…

The field of Christian-Muslim Studies – and its corresponding work on the ground – is constantly evolving and rapidly growing. Despite the ever-changing nature of their field, however, the scholars, students, and practitioners working in Christian-Muslim Studies maintain at least one constant. Despite religious difference, books can be our common currency. With the need for robust and ongoing scholarship in view, the Christian-Muslim Studies Network has sought out the latest in Christian-Muslim Studies for the last three years. Through book…

MSc Launch at University of Edinburgh The Christian-Muslim Studies Network and School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh officially launched a new taught masters (MSc) in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations on 9 March. A new video released for the launch describes the new course in detail. Applications for the inaugural course, beginning in September 2020, are currently open. The launch was attended by staff and students from New College and the Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam…

Watch sessions from recent international conference Updates and recordings from key sessions are now available from the most recent international conference from the Christian-Muslim Studies Network, ‘The Limits of Justice: Law, Ethics, and Theology in Christian-Muslim Relations‘. Find links to video recordings from the conference below: All photos are from the conference proceedings. Photo credit: Nassar Madyun. Opening Lecture Anver Emon (University of Toronto) Polizei and the Framing of Rights: An Islamic Legal Angle Theological Ethics and Christian-Muslim Relations Daniel…