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An exploration of the Christian-Muslim landscape in modern Syria and the contribution of Eastern Christian thought to interreligious dynamicsAndrew Ashdown, 2020, original scientific article
Abstract: This paper considers Christian-Muslim relations in modern Syria and the im-portance that eastern Christian thought can make to the interreligious context within the Middle East. It briefly describes the diverse historical and contempo-rary Christian and Muslim religious landscapes that have cohabited and interacted within the country and the cultural, religious, and political issues that have im-pacted the interreligious dynamic. Based on fieldwork undertaken in government-held areas during the Syrian conflict, combined with critical historical and Christian theological reflection, the article contributes to understanding Syria’s diverse religious landscape and the multi-layered expressions of Christian-Muslim relations, in a way that has not been previously attempted. providing insights into interreligious praxis prior to the conflict and in its midst, the article contributes to an understanding of the ef-fect of conflict on interreligious relationships. The article considers the unique contribution of eastern Christianity to the Christian-Muslim dynamic and concludes that the significance of the theology and spirituality of the ‘Antiochene’ paradigm has been under-recognised in west-ern discourse and that, having coexisted within the cultural environment of Islam, it is uniquely placed to play a major role in Christian-Muslim dialogue and the reframing of Islam’s engagement with modern society.This article contributes therefore to knowledge and understanding of the changing Christian-Muslim dynamic in Syria and the neighbouring region; a new understanding of the religious landscape; and a door to exploring how eastern Christian approaches to Christian-Muslim relations may be sustained and strengthened in the face of the considerable religious and political challenges faced by both communities today.
Keywords: Middle East, Syria, Christian-Muslim relations, Eastern Christianity
Published in DiRROS: 11.05.2022; Views: 683; Downloads: 452
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