Christian–Muslim Relations in Syria

Christian–Muslim Relations in Syria
Author: Andrew W. H. Ashdown
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2020-11-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1000244792

Offering an authoritative study of the plural religious landscape in modern Syria and of the diverse Christian and Muslim communities that have cohabited the country for centuries, this volume considers a wide range of cultural, religious and political issues that have impacted the interreligious dynamic, putting them in their local and wider context. Combining fieldwork undertaken within government-held areas during the Syrian conflict with critical historical and Christian theological reflection, this research makes a significant contribution to understanding Syria’s diverse religious landscape and the multi-layered expressions of Christian-Muslim relations. It discusses the concept of sectarianism and how communal dynamics are crucial to understanding Syrian society. The complex wider issues that underlie the relationship are examined, including the roles of culture and religious leadership; and it questions whether the analytical concept of sectarianism is adequate to describe the complex communal frameworks in the Middle Eastern context. Finally, the study examines the contributions of contemporary Eastern Christian leaders to interreligious discourse, concluding that the theology and spirituality of Eastern Christianity, inhabiting the same cultural environment as Islam, is uniquely placed to play a major role in interreligious dialogue and in peace-making. The book offers an original contribution to knowledge and understanding of the changing Christian-Muslim dynamic in Syria and the region. It should be a key resource to students, scholars and readers interested in religion, current affairs and the Middle East.

Christian-Muslim Relations in Syria

Christian-Muslim Relations in Syria
Author: Andrew Ashdown
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2020-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9781003095712

"Offering an authoritative study of the plural religious landscape in modern Syria and of the diverse Christian and Muslim communities that have cohabited the country for centuries, this volume considers a wide range of cultural, religious and political issues that have impacted the interreligious dynamic, putting them in their local and wider context. Combining fieldwork undertaken within government-held areas during the Syrian conflict with critical historical and Christian theological reflection, this research makes a significant contribution to understanding Syria's diverse religious landscape and the multi-layered expressions of Christian-Muslim relations. It discusses the concept of sectarianism and how communal dynamics are crucial to understanding Syrian society. The complex wider issues that underlie the relationship are examined, including the roles of culture and religious leadership; and it questions whether the analytical concept of sectarianism is adequate to describe the complex communal frameworks in the Middle Eastern context. Finally, the study examines the contributions of contemporary Eastern Christian leaders to interreligious discourse, concluding that the theology and spirituality of Eastern Christianity, inhabiting the same cultural environment as Islam, is uniquely placed to play a major role in interreligious dialogue and in peace-making. The book offers an original contribution to knowledge and understanding of the changing Christian-Muslim dynamic in Syria and the region. It should be a key resource to students, scholars and readers interested in religion, current affairs and the Middle East"--

Christian-Muslim Relations in Syria

Christian-Muslim Relations in Syria
Author: Andrew W. H. Ashdown
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2020-11-25
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9781000244786

Offering an authoritative study of the plural religious landscape in modern Syria and of the diverse Christian and Muslim communities that have cohabited the country for centuries, this volume considers a wide range of cultural, religious and political issues that have impacted the interreligious dynamic, putting them in their local and wider context. Combining fieldwork undertaken within government-held areas during the Syrian conflict with critical historical and Christian theological reflection, this research makes a significant contribution to understanding Syria's diverse religious landscape and the multi-layered expressions of Christian-Muslim relations. It discusses the concept of sectarianism and how communal dynamics are crucial to understanding Syrian society. The complex wider issues that underlie the relationship are examined, including the roles of culture and religious leadership; and it questions whether the analytical concept of sectarianism is adequate to describe the complex communal frameworks in the Middle Eastern context. Finally, the study examines the contributions of contemporary Eastern Christian leaders to interreligious discourse, concluding that the theology and spirituality of Eastern Christianity, inhabiting the same cultural environment as Islam, is uniquely placed to play a major role in interreligious dialogue and in peace-making. The book offers an original contribution to knowledge and understanding of the changing Christian-Muslim dynamic in Syria and the region. It should be a key resource to students, scholars and readers interested in religion, current affairs and the Middle East.

Muslim-Christian Relations in Damascus amid the 1860 Riot

Muslim-Christian Relations in Damascus amid the 1860 Riot
Author: Rana Abu-Mounes
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2022-01-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004470425

The Impact of European Imperial Influences, Economic Rivalries, and Religious Tension on Muslim-Christian Relations during the 1860 CE Riot in Damascus

Christian responses to Islam

Christian responses to Islam
Author: Anthony O'Mahony
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2024-06-04
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1526184001

In the aftermath of 9/11 there has been much talk of a need to engage on a meaningful level with Islam, but where do we begin and what is the right approach? This book, available in paperback for the first time, looks at case studies from around the world in order to explore how Christian groups, sometimes as minorities and sometimes as the majority, engage with their Muslim neighbours in the search for a peaceful society. Some of the initiatives are politically motivated, others run by Church authorities and a number are community based, but all offer different approaches to a variety of situations that are encountered in Christian-Islamic dialogue. This is the first time that global strategies for dialogue have been published in one book by a series of leading academics. Whilst previous publications have concentrated on a particular geographical area, usually the Middle East or Europe, this book casts a wider net and considers issues such as the rise of radical Islam in post-Soviet states, Indonesian immigration in Australia and the spread of Islam amongst the Black South Africans after the fall of apartheid. Scholars and all those interested in politics, current affairs, religion or peace studies will find this book essential reading as a guidebook to the state of contemporary Christian-Islamic relations.

From Pluralism to Extinction? Perspectives and Challenges for Christians in the Middle East

From Pluralism to Extinction? Perspectives and Challenges for Christians in the Middle East
Author: Sotiris Roussos
Publisher: Transnational Press London
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2023-07-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1801352259

Christian communities are deeply rooted in the Middle East, starting their witness since the first centuries of Christianity. The last hundred years of Middle East Christianity’s history went through a series of profound crises. Displacement by war, genocide and occupation leading to loss, emigration and exile seem to be the main experience of Christianity in the modern Middle East. Against this background of displacement, Christians have sought to resettle and build anew when allowed. They have been able to make significant cultural, political and economic contribution to Middle Eastern societies. In the last thirty years they are again facing ominous threat of extinction. Entering the new millennium, they are confronted with major difficulties and transformations in world politics. From 2011 Christians particularly in Syria and Iraq, have been suffering death and destruction in the hands of extremist Islamist groups. The volume is a fresh approach to the study of the Christian communities in the Middle East examining their relation to state, identity and politics. It questions main presuppositions and perceptions regarding Christianity in the Middle East, casts new light on the living Christian communities in the region and reflects on their future role. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION: THE “CANARY IN THE MINE” OR THE FATE OF CHRISTIANS IN THE MIDDLE EAST - Sotiris Roussos ARMENIAN COMMUNITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST: LOSING THE PAST IN THE FUTURE? - Hratch Tchilingirian ONTOLOGICAL SECURITY THEORY: CHRISTIAN ‘EXISTENTIAL ANXIETY’ IN EGYPT AND LEBANON - Zakia Aqra, Stavros Drakoularakos & Charitini Petrodaskalaki MIDDLE EASTERN CHRISTIANITY IN SYRIA AND IRAQ: AT THE EPICENTRE OF THE RISE OF THE ISLAMIC STATE - Stavros Drakoularakos TURKISH POLICIES VIS-À-VIS CHRISTIANS: FROM EXCLUSION TO INCLUSION TO EXCLUSION AGAIN - Nikos Christofis THE GREEK/PALESTINIAN DIVIDE WITHIN THE JERUSALEM ORTHODOX CHURCH: THE INSTITUTIONAL ASPECT - Konstantinos Papastathis THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH AND THE STATE: THE MIDDLE EAST CONNECTION - Ilias Tasopoulos CHRISTIAN RIGHT AND US MIDDLE EAST POLICY: FOREIGN POLICY IN THE SERVICE OF GOD’S WILL - Marina Eleftheriadou CHRISTIANITY IN THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST: CURRENT SITUATION AND FUTURE CHALLENGES - Anthony O’Mahony