"The World of Islam"
at Trinity Lime Rock
A number of months ago, before the start of the second Iraq war, a group of Trinity parishioners began to focus on how little most of us actually knew about Islam: certainly one of the world's great religions, and one of three members of the Abrahamic group (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). The question was timely; in the aftermath of 9/11, talk of radical Islam was everywhere. While there was clearly much information about Islam "out there" for mass consumption, the extent to which nearly all of it was agenda-driven was obvious.
What we did next at Trinity:In response to the need, Robertson Alford, a parishioner, assumed the role of moderator of a group to study Islam at Trinity Lime Rock. At the first session, Robertson presented a brief history of Islam to the 15 parishioners who attended, accompanied by handouts that provided a time line and defined many Islamic concepts. A second session built on the first. The group realized how little we really did know collectively or individually about Islam, most particularly about how Islam and Christianity could co-exist in the modern world. Robertson was charged with taking the group further, and arranged for Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Rabi, Professor and Co-director of the Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian Muslim Relations at the Hartford Seminary to speak at Trinity Lime Rock on April 5, 2003. Dr. Abu-Rabi was accompanied by three Hartford Seminary scholars-in-residence, and spoke to an audience of around 50 Trinity parishioners and other interested people from the larger community for around 30 minutes before taking a number of questions from the audience. His remarks traced three parallel movements over the past 150 years: Arab nationalism, imperialism, and the growth of Islam. Events in Iraq since the invasion have borne out Dr. Abu-Rabi's concerns as he articulated them for us that evening. Both Professor Abu-Rabi and the scholars who accompanied him were available for lively give-and-take during the reception that followed the presentation. |
What the Head of the Anglican Communion was doing at the same time:Trinity Lime Rock's scheduling of Dr. Abu-Rabi's talk was fortuitous. Two days following, on April 7,2003, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, convened the second "Building Bridges" seminar in Doha, Qatar, hosted by the Amir of Qatar, His Highness Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. According to the Anglican Communion News Service, this conference of thirty Christian and Muslim scholars from around the world held three days of detailed discussions focusing on the place of scripture in the two faith communities, including contemporary interpretations of scripture and scriptural perspectives on those from other faith traditions. A part of a continuing process of engagement between Christian and Muslim scholars, it was planned well in advance of the outbreak of hostilities in Iraq. Dr. Williams underlined the importance of this dialogue as follows: "Christians and Muslims have much to learn from each other, and much to share, despite all the differences we acknowledge. A meeting such as this is a clear demonstration that we do not have to be imprisoned in mutual hostility and misunderstanding when our encounters are shaped by the scholarship and experience of people such as those who will be contributing to this meeting." |
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The audience gathers in Walker Hall |
The Rector introduces moderator Robertson Alford |
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About Prof. Abu-Rabi:
In addition to his professorial role, Dr. Abu-Rabi is co-editor of The Muslim World. His books include the following: Intellectual Origins of Islamic Resurgence in the Modern World; Islamic Resurgence and the Challenge of the Contemporary World: a Round Table with Professor Khurshid Abmad; and has just edited and written the introduction to Islam at the Crossroads: On the Life and Thought of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. He also edited and wrote the introduction to Elmer Berger's translation of The Pearls of Wisdom by the North African Mystic Ibn a-Sabbagh. |
| Above: Prof. Abu-Rabi following the presentation (click on the picture for a larger view) |
