Christianity and Islam: What Shared Values for Enhanced Religious Harmony and Global Stability

Abstract:

Violent activities of extremist groups like ISIS, Al Shabab and Boko Haram are at the center of contemporary threat to global peace and religious harmony. They put Christian populations under tension. These activities help to sustain the impression that Islam is a violent religion especially against Christianity. Erroneous as this image is, it is difficult to erase it from the minds of many Christians and even moderate Muslims especially those that have been victims of religiously instigated violence. This paper seeks to identify enduring and shared values of both religions such as charity and love of neighbor at the heart of a shared humanity accepted and propagated by both religions. It is argued therefore that projected as core values of both religions, inter-religious dialogue and harmony are achievable in the interest of global peace and stability.

Read or download full paper:

Genyi, George A (2016). Christianity and Islam: What Shared Values for Enhanced Religious Harmony and Global Stability

Journal of Living Together, 2-3 (1), pp. 103-115, 2016, ISSN: 2373-6615 (Print); 2373-6631 (Online).

@Article{Genyi2016
Title = {Christianity and Islam: What Shared Values for Enhanced Religious Harmony and Global Stability}
Author = {George A. Genyi}
Url = {https://icermediation.org/christianity-and-islam-shared-values-for-religious-harmony/}
ISSN = {2373-6615 (Print); 2373-6631 (Online)}
Year = {2016}
Date = {2016-12-18}
IssueTitle = {Faith Based Conflict Resolution: Exploring the Shared Values in the Abrahamic Religious Traditions}
Journal = {Journal of Living Together}
Volume = {2-3}
Number = {1}
Pages = {103-115}
Publisher = {International Center for Ethno-Religious Mediation}
Address = {Mount Vernon, New York}
Edition = {2016}.

Share

Related Articles

Religions in Igboland: Diversification, Relevance and Belonging

Religion is one of the socioeconomic phenomena with undeniable impacts on humanity anywhere in the world. As sacrosanct as it seems, religion is not only important to the understanding of the existence of any indigenous population but also has policy relevance in the interethnic and developmental contexts. Historical and ethnographic evidence on different manifestations and nomenclatures of the phenomenon of religion abound. The Igbo nation in Southern Nigeria, on both sides of the Niger River, is one of the largest black entrepreneurial cultural groups in Africa, with unmistakable religious fervour that implicates sustainable development and interethnic interactions within its traditional borders. But the religious landscape of Igboland is constantly changing. Until 1840, the dominant religion(s) of the Igbo was indigenous or traditional. Less than two decades later, when Christian missionary activity commenced in the area, a new force was unleashed that would eventually reconfigure the indigenous religious landscape of the area. Christianity grew to dwarf the dominance of the latter. Before the centenary of Christianity in Igboland, Islam and other less hegemonic faiths arose to compete against indigenous Igbo religions and Christianity. This paper tracks the religious diversification and its functional relevance to harmonious development in Igboland. It draws its data from published works, interviews, and artefacts. It argues that as new religions emerge, the Igbo religious landscape will continue to diversify and/or adapt, either for inclusivity or exclusivity among the existing and emerging religions, for the survival of the Igbo.

Share

Conversion to Islam and Ethnic Nationalism in Malaysia

This paper is a segment of a larger research project that focuses on the rise of ethnic Malay nationalism and supremacy in Malaysia. While the rise of ethnic Malay nationalism can be attributed to various factors, this paper specifically focuses on the Islamic conversion law in Malaysia and whether or not it has reinforced the sentiment of ethnic Malay supremacy. Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country which gained its independence in 1957 from the British. The Malays being the largest ethnic group have always regarded the religion of Islam as part and parcel of their identity which separates them from other ethnic groups that were brought into the country during British colonial rule. While Islam is the official religion, the Constitution allows other religions to be practiced peacefully by non-Malay Malaysians, namely the ethnic Chinese and Indians. However, the Islamic law that governs Muslim marriages in Malaysia has mandated that non-Muslims must convert to Islam should they wish to marry Muslims. In this paper, I argue that the Islamic conversion law has been used as a tool to strengthen the sentiment of ethnic Malay nationalism in Malaysia. Preliminary data were collected based on interviews with Malay Muslims who are married to non-Malays. The results have shown that majority of Malay interviewees consider conversion to Islam as imperative as required by the Islamic religion and the state law. In addition, they also see no reason why non-Malays would object to converting to Islam, as upon marriage, the children will automatically be considered Malays as per the Constitution, which also comes with status and privileges. Views of non-Malays who have converted to Islam were based on secondary interviews that have been conducted by other scholars. As being a Muslim is associated with being a Malay, many non-Malays that converted feel robbed of their sense of religious and ethnic identity, and feel pressured to embrace the ethnic Malay culture. While changing the conversion law might be difficult, open interfaith dialogues in schools and in public sectors might be the first step to tackle this problem.

Share