Speaking of Peace: a Muslim/Christian dialogue

Which book is really about peace: the Bible or the Qur’an? Jay Smith, BICWM’s resident expert on Islam, and Shabir Ally, a Muslim scholar from Toronto, will explore this question during a 2-hour session on Saturday afternoon of General Conference.

Billed as a dialogue, not a debate, the Muslim/Christian exchange promises to be a thought-provoking experience as the two men look at the issue of peace from the perspective of their respective scriptures. There will also be time for questions from the audience. BICers who live local to General Conference are encouraged to bring guests to the afternoon session, including  Muslim neighbors or co-workers.

Jay is quick to note that the presentation at General Conference will be very different from his exchanges with Muslims at Speakers’ Corner in London. He describes what will take place at the meeting in Toronto as “a different form of communication . . . not based on a performance from the front [as is true of a classic debate format], but based more on the content of the discussion and dialogue between the two speakers.” Conference planners are hopeful that the dialogue will help dispel fears about face-to-face contact with Muslims by modeling engagement around topics of shared interest.  

In anticipation of the Christian/Muslim dialogue, we have put together a list of helpful books about Islam and Christian/Muslim interaction.

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