Welcome...

9th March, 2010:

Prof. Yang Guiping

Muslims in China

The Relationship of Faith and fighting

When, if ever, is it acceptable to link faith and fighting? And how are we to distinguish a Christian or a Muslim fighting for their faith from someone who happens to be Muslim or Christian fighting for some other reason? Furthermore, if they claim to be fighting for their faith, how do we judge when those claims have some justification within their own faith tradition? This last point requires, at the very least, familiarity with the foundational texts of each faith and how they have been interpreted. Martin Luther (d. 1546) and Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328/728) are two famous examples of the many Christians and Muslims who have thought about the relationship of faith and fighting.

The Director, Martin Whittingham, writes: 'A warm welcome to this first Newsletter from the Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies. Here you will find research being presented at the Centre - work which does not follow a party line, but asks the reader to think. I wish you fruitful reading and browsing.'

Prof Mahmoud Ayoub (Co-Director Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Hartford Seminary) and Dr Martin Whittingham (Director, Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies) will give public lectures in the Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, at 5pm on Tuesday, 2nd March.