Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies
  • 10 years of CMCS
  • Events
  • CMCS Overview Who We Are What We Do Why We Exist FAQ and Glossary How We Are Funded Our Team Our Impact Support Us Become a Friend of CMCS Contact Us
  • Study Overview Seminars, Events & Courses Oxford Muslim-Christian Summer School Tutoring and Supervision Guided Reading Specialist Library Downloadable Study Aids and Resources
  • Training Training Examples Price List Collaboration Opportunities
  • Study Aids Research Briefings Seminar and Lecture Recordings Hikmah Guides Book Reviews Teacher Resources
  • Research Overview Reading the Bible in the Context of Islam Educating Seminaries Impact of Inter-faith Initiatives Christians and Muslims in Public Life
Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies
  • 10 years of CMCS/
  • Events/
  • About Us /
    • CMCS Overview
    • Who We Are
    • What We Do
    • Why We Exist
    • FAQ and Glossary
    • How We Are Funded
    • Our Team
    • Our Impact
    • Support Us
    • Become a Friend of CMCS
    • Contact Us
  • Study/
    • Study Overview
    • Seminars, Events & Courses
    • Oxford Muslim-Christian Summer School
    • Tutoring and Supervision
    • Guided Reading
    • Specialist Library
    • Downloadable Study Aids and Resources
  • Services/
    • Training
    • Training Examples
    • Price List
    • Collaboration Opportunities
  • Resources/
    • Study Aids
    • Research Briefings
    • Seminar and Lecture Recordings
    • Hikmah Guides
    • Book Reviews
    • Teacher Resources
  • Our Research/
    • Research Overview
    • Reading the Bible in the Context of Islam
    • Educating Seminaries
    • Impact of Inter-faith Initiatives
    • Christians and Muslims in Public Life
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Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies

CMCS Overview

We are a small research organisation based in Oxford, UK that provides study and research opportunities to Christians who want to learn about Islam and Muslims who want to learn about Christianity.

Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies
  • 10 years of CMCS/
  • Events/
  • About Us /
    • CMCS Overview
    • Who We Are
    • What We Do
    • Why We Exist
    • FAQ and Glossary
    • How We Are Funded
    • Our Team
    • Our Impact
    • Support Us
    • Become a Friend of CMCS
    • Contact Us
  • Study/
    • Study Overview
    • Seminars, Events & Courses
    • Oxford Muslim-Christian Summer School
    • Tutoring and Supervision
    • Guided Reading
    • Specialist Library
    • Downloadable Study Aids and Resources
  • Services/
    • Training
    • Training Examples
    • Price List
    • Collaboration Opportunities
  • Resources/
    • Study Aids
    • Research Briefings
    • Seminar and Lecture Recordings
    • Hikmah Guides
    • Book Reviews
    • Teacher Resources
  • Our Research/
    • Research Overview
    • Reading the Bible in the Context of Islam
    • Educating Seminaries
    • Impact of Inter-faith Initiatives
    • Christians and Muslims in Public Life

Get to Know CMCS

We are an independent Christian-based academic centre where Christians and Muslims come together to learn from and about one another, and our respective faiths, in the context of living relationships.

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Our Vision: Wisdom and hope in Christian-Muslim relations through transformed minds.


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Our Purpose: We bring Muslims and Christians together to relate honestly, think rigorously, and explore our respective traditions and religious texts, through teaching and research, discussion and public education.


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Our Activities: Teaching Christians honestly about Islam, teaching Muslims honestly about Christianity, and supporting good quality research on the Christian-Muslim interface.


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Who We Are

What We Do

Why We Exist

What We Believe

Our Team

Our Board of Reference

Our Impact

Our Location


Contact Us >
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TESTIMONIALS FROM STUDENTS, STAFF AND COLLABORATORS:
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At Summer School we learned how to communicate firmly and honestly without offending one another in our discussions. We read Biblical and Qur’anic texts, explored inter-faith dialogue through history to the present day and its meaningful application in our society.

- Mwilwa Francis Kapansa, Muslim Summer School student

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The combination of academic rigour and practical inter-faith advice that CMCS offers is helping Muslims and Christians locally and nationally to engage with and understand each other more clearly in a world where communications are increasingly strained. I am glad to support the work of the Centre, and long may it continue.

- Martin Gorick, Archdeacon of Oxford

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The work of CMCS has led me to the realisation that what I have done is not enough. There are so many other things that I need to do, that I have not even yet contemplated.

Dr Mohamed Mesbahi, Director of Education, Islamic College, London

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Based on my experiences at Summer School, I am optimistic about the future. I now know people of different faiths can get along very well together as long as everyone keeps an open mind and is respectful of other opinions and ways of approaching things.

- Sally Anne Wheadon, Summer School student

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As a Ph.D. Middle Eastern Christian student, my time at the Centre was inspiring and transforming. I actually had the opportunity to meet with some profound scholars and to ask all sort of questions on what it means to read the Bible in the context of Islam, particularly the Old Testament. The discussions that I had with those scholars challenged but inspired and transformed the way in which I am thinking of reading the Bible in my own Middle Eastern/ Islamic context.

- Emad Botros, Research Support Student, McMaster Divinity College

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The Qur’an commands Muslims to be faithful witnesses to God, in the cause of truth, in the pursuit of single standards of justice. Muslims must speak the truth about others, even if they see them as rivals for the hand of grace. This is the example set by the Prophet Muhammad and, before him, by Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I am, therefore, pleased to work closely with Christian scholars at CMCS.

- Dr Shabbir Akhtar, Research Fellow

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There will be no transformation of relationships without transformation of people and of their thinking. I want to see God transforming the minds of Christian people so that we can resist the worl'd’s power agendas, speak the truth, and be faithful witnesses to Jesus Christ in our interactions with Muslims.

- Dr Ida Glaser, Founding Fellow

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Being a member of the inter-faith community at the Centre has transformed the way in which I view other religions, especially Christianity, but also has advanced my understanding of my own religion in new ways. From the very first day I came to CMCS to seek advice on my postdoctoral proposal from the Centre’s Director, I was welcomed warmly and assisted most generously by everyone.

- Dr Shirin Shafaie

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For my interaction with Muslims all over the world, CMCS has created such a confidence in me. Not only can I interact with Muslim scholars, but I can also provide view points on Christian topics that they would like to learn from me.

- Matthew Jeong

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CMCS offers an oasis of hospitality for Christians engaging with Muslims, to develop teaching opportunities, share research outcomes and deepen relationships. Its commitment to inter-faith encounter, grounded in biblical teaching is refreshing, equipping churches to draw alongside Muslim neighbours, without resorting to compromise or aggression.

- Sarah Snyder, Cambridge Interfaith Programme, Director of the Centre of Reconciliation at Rose Castle, Cumbria

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Throughout the course of history, Muslims and Christians have been encountering one another. This has sometimes been a negative and, at other times, a positive experience. The Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies offers both academic rigour and a firm commitment to biblical truth in promoting the study of this long history of Muslim-Christian relations. I am glad, as well as thankful, in being able to commend its work to all those who desire a greater knowledge of one of the most pressing concerns of our times.

- Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, President, OXTRAD

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When I came to study at CMCS, ISIS was beginning to take territory in Syria. So many atrocities accompanied their reign of terror. That added a layer of intensity to my thought. During that time, Christians heard daily news that put Islam in the most negative light. In my own country and my own congregation, emotions were running high. The controversy about Islam was escalating. I was so thankful for the opportunity to learn more about Islam at that time.

- Guy Gray, Guided Reading student

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Through the generous financial and academic support of CMCS, I have benefited tremendously both in my DPhil research and in my understanding of Islamic studies more generally. The academic staff have helped to create a safe yet rigorous environment in which I could explore and flourish as a junior scholar. I wholeheartedly recommend CMCS.

- Dr Richard Park, Assistant Professor of Theology & Ethics at Vanguard University

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As a Middle Eastern Christian PhD student, my time at the Centre was inspiring and transforming. The discussions I had with profound scholars challenged but inspired and transformed the way in which I think of reading the Bible in my own Middle Eastern/Islamic context.

- Emad Botros (PhD student)

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Thank you for the best week I have spent in education! I hope the relationships we have built will last long into the future and we can support one another in our respective fields. I have learnt so much about myself through the summer school and have found confidence to speak about my own faith in a positive way.

- Muslim Summer School student

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The Oxford Muslim-Christian summer school has forever changed how I view my own faith, and that of my Muslim friends and family. It has genuinely been one of the best experiences of my academic career—I can never thank you enough for making this experience possible for me.

- Christian Summer School student

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I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at CMCS and I believe learning from Dr. Glaser's knowledge and experience was the most privileged and the most productive part of my time at CMCS.

- Iftikhar Ahmed, Sabbatical Learning Student, St Helen's Bishopsgate

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I benefited from the presentations and by interactions with various scholars on issues pertaining to Islam and Muslim-Christian relations. In the current climate of inter-religious tensions and strife, what the Centre is doing is valuable: to provide a forum for people of all faiths - academics, religious leaders and members of the public - to gather for honest exchanges grounded in scholarship and friendship.

- Dr Charlene Tan, Institute of Education, Singapore

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Academically, CMCS has provided me with a venue not only to expand and deepen my interest in the relationship between the state and interfaith dialogue in the Gulf, but also to present my work on interfaith in Qatar – through a public seminar and a written research briefing.

- Asim Koldzo, Scholarship Recipient, 2013-2014

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[Summer School] made me appreciate aspects of my faith I had taken for granted, and also question some of my own assumptions. Overall, I felt like there was a powerful sense of God’s presence in the whole process for me, especially in retrospect.

- Ramona Nash, Summer School student

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I learned a great deal about Christianity from Christians, which in my opinion is the best way to begin that journey; learning about a faith through the eyes of people who have a deep commitment to it.

Shahanaz Begum, Summer School Student and Faculty Member

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Our mission partners come with a variety of views and perspectives in Islam. I can be confident that [cross-cultural training at the Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies] both respects the diversity of approaches and challenges them.

- Colin Smith, Church Mission Society

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The opportunity to learn from and learn about Islam is one that I would never otherwise have had. This week has been so valuable in my journey of Christian faith and has given me vision for the future, to work within interfaith mission. I wish that everyone who was training in their faith community had a similar opportunity.

- Christian Summer School student

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I thank all of the trusts that contributed towards this amazing initiative. Without your generous contribution none of this would have been possible.

- Muslim Summer School student

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Inter-faith dialogue is all a bit wishy-washy, isn't it? I used to think so. It seemed a futile attempt at squaring the circle. This Summer School has helped me see otherwise. I've appreciated teachers stating clearly and honestly beliefs they hold about my faith which I find offensive. Without compromising our own faiths, we've been able to listen and learn from one another.

- Christian Summer School student


  • 10 years of CMCS/
  • Events/
  • About Us /
    • CMCS Overview
    • Who We Are
    • What We Do
    • Why We Exist
    • FAQ and Glossary
    • How We Are Funded
    • Our Team
    • Our Impact
    • Support Us
    • Become a Friend of CMCS
    • Contact Us
  • Study/
    • Study Overview
    • Seminars, Events & Courses
    • Oxford Muslim-Christian Summer School
    • Tutoring and Supervision
    • Guided Reading
    • Specialist Library
    • Downloadable Study Aids and Resources
  • Services/
    • Training
    • Training Examples
    • Price List
    • Collaboration Opportunities
  • Resources/
    • Study Aids
    • Research Briefings
    • Seminar and Lecture Recordings
    • Hikmah Guides
    • Book Reviews
    • Teacher Resources
  • Our Research/
    • Research Overview
    • Reading the Bible in the Context of Islam
    • Educating Seminaries
    • Impact of Inter-faith Initiatives
    • Christians and Muslims in Public Life

Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies

CMCS brings Muslims and Christians together to relate honestly, think rigorously, and explore our respective traditions and religious texts, through teaching and research, discussion and public education.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Hilary Term Public Lecture

Upcoming date

Tuesday 26th February, 5.30pm

Christian Attitudes towards Muslims: a review of survey data in Britain

Speaker: Shenaz Bunglawala, Assistant Director, The Aziz Foundation

Shenaz Bunglawala

Shenaz Bunglawala

For abstract, biography and details please click below

See Upcoming Events >

New Book Review

Read our latest CMCS book review contributed by Prof Hugh Goddard of University of Edinburgh: The New Testament in Muslim Eyes: Paul’s Letter to the Galatians by Dr Shabbir Akhtar.

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See New Book Review >

10th Anniversary Celebration

On Wednesday 7th November, CMCS held a celebratory event at Christ Church, Oxford to mark its 10th Anniversary. Review the past decade with us and find out more about our bid to raise £107,000. Read the report of the celebration event, see pictures, and listen to the audio at:

10th Anniversary Celebration >
Donate to the fund >

Research Briefings

The latest edition of the CMCS journal, Research Briefings, is available now.

Download Now >

Scholarships at CMCS

Read more about our current Postgraduate Scholarship Holders here.


Join Our Mailing List >

Join our mailing list to keep up to date with CMCS news, events and research.

Sign Up Now >

Read about how we are funded and how you can help

Donate to CMCS >
Become a friend of CMCS >

Questions? Contributions? Collaboration ideas? We'd love to hear from you

Get In Touch >
Find Us >
  • CMCS
    Public Lecture @ CMCS on Tues 26th February, 5.30-7.00pm. Aziz Foundation Assistant Director - Shenaz Bunglawala -… https://t.co/wCRkTUmzw3
    about a day ago
  • CMCS
    Read our review of Dr Shabbir Akhtar's ‘The New Testament in Muslim Eyes: Paul's letter to the Galatians’ published… https://t.co/L3H2DHsJXA
    about 2 days ago
  • CMCS
    Read our latest book review by Prof Hugh Goddard on Shabbir Akhtar's The New Testament in Muslim Eyes exploring Pau… https://t.co/VgeYw2jUKj
    about 2 days ago

Copyright Solomon Academic Trust 2018. Website by Catwood Websites. Images of students and teachers at the Centre by John Cairns Photography
The Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies is an academic centre for teaching and research. It is operated by the Solomon Academic Trust: Limited Company Registered in England and Wales No. 6576101 and Registered Charity No. 1124950. Charity Registered in Scotland No. SCO41812
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