Views
on
Christian-Muslim Relations

by

Joseph Kenny, O.P.
Dominican Publications
Lagos, 1999

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——TABLE OF CONTENTS——

Chapter 1—     Religious freedom in Christian thought
	Document 1—	The status of unbelief	Thomas Aquinas
	Document 2—	Socio-ethical principles	Jan H. Walgrave
	Document 3—	Declaration on Religious Liberty	Vatican II
Chapter 2—     Religious freedom in Islamic thought
	Document 4—	The treatment of ahl adh-dhimma	At-Turtûshî
	Document 5—	Treatment of unbelievers	Al-Qayrawânî
	Document 6—	Religious liberty: a Muslim perspective	Muhammad Talbi
Chapter 3 —   Dialogue with Muslims
	Document 7—	The salvation of non-Christians	Thomas Aquinas
	Document 8—	The salvation of non-Muslims	Al-Ghazâlî
	Document 9—	Guidelines on dialogue	World Council of Churches
	Document 10—	Islam and dialogue	Muhammad Talbi
	See also—	Dominus Jesus	Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith

INTRODUCTION

This volume was born out of the course "Relations among peoples of living faiths", RES 701 of the Masters in Religious Studies, at the University of Ibadan.

That course was introduced from a growing insistence on the importance of this subject in the world and in Nigeria in particular.— Both the Church and the Umma are concerned with the need to promote peaceful and fruitful relations between the two communities, as is evident from uncountable pronouncements made by their respective leaders both in the public media and in private.

The chapters summarize the main directions of Christian and Muslim thought on religious relations, both old and new, both from the closed or hostile side and from the open and friendly side.— These are illustrated by ten documents that are representative of the myriad of writings on the topic.— It is for the reader to evaluate them and take his own position.

This volume covers the essentials of Christian and Muslim thought on the subject, and therefore should satisfy any general reader.

A specialist in Religious Studies, however, should read further in the different areas of this very complicated subject.— He should be familiar with such periodicals as Orita, Bulletin of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, Islamochristiana, The Muslim World, Encounter (Rome), just to mention a few.

For books, one should at least know F. Gioia (ed.), Interreligious dialogue, the official teaching of the Catholic Church (1963-1995) (Boston: Pauline Books, 1997).— The periodicals mentioned above provide bibliographies and book reviews that equip the student with all the references he needs — provided, of course, he can find the titles, if he is in Nigeria.

Apart from books, there is the ever-open and limitless book of field work in the real world of daily Christian-Muslim encounter.— This can never adequately be reduced to print, much less be treated in this volume.

The theoretical questions raised in this volume are difficult, and most readers will find perspectives that are new and challenging to their received ideas. Read on!— It will only strengthen your faith in the end.