Islam and Christianity in Interfaith Dialogue
Friday, April 20, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
702 Hamilton Hall, Columbia University, New York, with Mustafa Akyol and Father Daniel Madigan.
In discussions of religion and liberty, one will get a different perspective when looking at at moderate or conservative strains of religion. In this talk, Mustafa Akyol and Father Daniel Madigan will examine the common ground that exists between Christianity and Islam – between conservative and moderate traditions in both religions. They will discuss how, within Islam, Quranic interpretation can lead to humanist depictions of freedom and democracy or to a justification of authoritarian political force. Finally, they will address the work Madigan and others have done towards interfaith dialogue and on finding and strengthening the common ground between religions.
Mustafa Akyol is a columnist for two Turkish newspapers, Hürriyet Daily News and Star. His articles have also appeared in Foreign Affairs, Newsweek, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. His book, Islam without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty, an argument for “Muslim liberalism,” was published by W.W. Norton in July 2011. Daniel Madigan is a Jesuit Priest and the Jeanette W. and Otto J. Ruesch Family Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Dept. of Theology at Georgetown University.