Christian Lives Given to the Study of Islam - Hardcover

by Christian W. Troll (Editor), C. T. R. Hewer (Editor)

This book captures the autobiographical reflections of twenty-eight Christian men and women who, in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, committed their lives to the study of Islam and to practical Christian-Muslim relations in new and irenic ways. Their contributions come from across the spectrum of the Western church and record what drew them into the study of Islam. Their accounts take us to twenty-five countries and into all the branches of Islamic studies: Qur'an, Hadith, Shari'a, Sufism, philology, theology, and philosophy. They give fascinating insights into personal encounters with Islam and Muslims, speak of the ways in which their Christian traditions of spiritual training formed and nourished them, and deal with some of the misunderstandings and opposition they have faced along the way.

Author Biography

Christian W. Troll (b. 1937), a Jesuit priest, has engaged in studies of Islam and of Christian-Muslim Relations since 1961. After studying in Bonn, Tübingen, Beirut, and Munich, he graduated and received his doctorate from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University. He is the author of several books and numerous articles and has taught in India, Rome, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

C. T. R. Hewer (b. 1952) studied Christian theology, education and Islamic studies mainly in Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester. He was a member of the Centre for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Selly Oak, from 1986, and was adviser on Inter-Faith Relations to the Bishop of Birmingham (1999-2005). From 2006-10 he was St. Ethelburga Fellow in Christian-Muslim Relations in London.