My Neighbour's Faith: Islam Explained for Christians (Hippo) - Softcover

Azumah, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9966805028 ISBN 13: 9789966805027

Publisher: Cana Publishing, 2008

Synopsis

Islam and Christianity have coexisted in Africa for many years. African Muslims and Christians share kinship ties, languages and citizenship and have often lived together in peace. Yet today new forces threaten this harmony. Clashes between Christians and Muslims have become common in places like Sudan, Nigeria and Ivory Coast. Why? 

John Azumah sets out to answer this question and many others in this introduction to Islam. He writes as someone who knows Islam as the faith of many of his friends and relatives. This is no demonising polemic, but rather an introduction to Muslim history and theology, rooted in the work of Muslim scholars. As a Christian theologian, Azumah identifies some of the major differences between Christianity and Islam, and shows how these can lead to conflict. When addressing contentious issues such as the introduction of Shari'ah law in parts of Nigeria, Azumah presents the view from both sides and lays the grounds for reasoned debate, rather than inflammatory rhetoric.

My Neighbour's Faith: Islam Explained for Christians is required reading for all who seek to understand and reach out to their Muslim neighbours.

About this title

About the Author

John Azumah holds a PhD in Islamics from the University of Birmingham, UK, and is the Director for the Centre of Islamic Studies at the London School of Theology. He has previously served as a Research Fellow with the Akrofi-Christaller Institute in Ghana. Dr. Azumah is the author of The Legacy of Arab-Islam in Africa: A Quest for Inter-Religious Dialogue (Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2001) and has written articles on the subject in various academic journals.

From the Back Cover

Nowhere else in the world have both Islam and Christianity been more instrumental in shaping the history of a people and their way of life than in Africa. African Muslims and Christians have a lot in common, including kinship ties, shared languages and citizenship. Yet, despite the centuries of deep historical links and harmonious existence between the two religions, new challenges threaten this harmony. Conflicts involving Christians and Muslims in places like Sudan, Nigeria and Ivory Coast are common. These conflicts are fueled primarily by ignorance, stereotyping and prejudice, which in turn breed fear, suspicion and even hatred, in some cases leading to violence. My Neighbour's Faith sheds light on the beliefs and teaching of Islam by addressing matters of contemporary importance to Christians and the wider non-Muslim audience. It presents the human face of Islam---the face of a close relative, a neighbour, a teacher and even a head of state---in a balanced and critical way that gives a credible view of Islam.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cana Publishing
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9966805028
• ISBN 13: 9789966805027
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176