Skip to 0 minutes and 6 seconds Nearly half of the world’s population are affiliated with either Christianity or Islam. Since Islam’s emergence over 1,400 years ago, Christians and Muslims have continuously engaged each other. These encounters have been marked by both rivalry and cooperation, violence and peace, polemics and dialogue. To make matters even more complicated, these encounters cut across different genres and disciplines. To talk about Christian-Muslim Relations is to talk about scripture and theology, philosophy and poetry, politics and the law, prayer and personal piety, and even art, architecture, and public space. I’m Dr Shadaab Rahemtulla. Join me and my colleague, Dr Joshua Ralston, in this short, online course hosted by the University of Edinburgh.
Skip to 1 minute and 1 second Over the four weeks, students will be introduced to the academic study of Christian-Muslim Relations. We’ll learn about the similarities and differences between the Bible and the Qur’an and analyse the ongoing legacy of Abraham in both religions. Through dynamic discussion, engaging presentations, historical readings, students will learn about how Christians and Muslims have understood Jesus Christ and the Prophet Muhammad. We’ll also consider some of the very earliest historical encounters between Christians and Muslims, moving beyond simple grand narratives of perpetual Islamic conquest and Christian crusades.
Skip to 1 minute and 38 seconds Using case studies and virtual tours of the Mosque-Cathedral in Córdoba, Spain and the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, we’ll examine how the legacy of Christian-Muslim Relations has shaped politics, culture, art, and public space up until this very day. Join us in this intellectual journey to better understand both Christianity and Islam, and, perhaps more importantly, how these global and diverse religious traditions have encountered one another and collectively shaped the world that we live in.
