Christianity and Islam are two of the world’s largest faiths. While many observers concentrate on the tensions and differences between the two religions, leading Muslim scholar Professor Mona Siddiqui, in a free public lecture on Monday 23 February, will show that there are other ways of looking at the complex and sometimes challenging relationship between these two religions.
She will show that, in the UK, conversations between Christians and Muslims are often considered a luxury, whereas, in many other parts of the world, Christian-Muslim dialogue is essential simply to maintain the simple security of a society.
Her lecture will look at some of the themes and tensions that are present when these two major faith groups engage.
Entitled ‘Christian-Muslim relations: hope or challenge?’, the free lecture will take place at 6pm on Monday 23 February in the Wills Memorial Building. The Anne Spencer Memorial Lecture is organised by the University’s Multifaith Chaplaincy and is part of the University’s centenary lecture series.
Professor Siddiqui, FRSE, FRSA is Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Glasgow where she is also the Director of the Centre for the Study of Islam. Her areas of research and publication are the Qur’an, classical Islamic law, religion and contemporary ethics and Christian-Muslim issues.
She contributes to a wide range of media and is currently the Chair of the BBC’s Religious Advisory Committee in Scotland. She is also a commissioner on the Calman commission looking at the future of Scottish Devolution in the UK and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Faith.
Professor Siddiqui is an international speaker and in 2005 was awarded fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and of the Royal Society of Arts for her contribution to the academy and public life.
For more information, or to reserve a place, please go to the centenary lectures homepage.
Listen to Professor Siddiqui ahead of the lecture on BBC Radio Bristol at 17.45 today [19 February].