Islam : an introduction

In the age of globalisation, people of different nations, cultures and religions are living closer together than ever before. Muslims in the West are a substantial minority claiming equal political rights. In other parts of the world, Islam has got foothold by establishing student organisations, granting scholarships or building large mosques alerting a wider public to our multireligious reality. Christine Schirrmacher’s short introduction presents a well-written outline of the basic teachings of Islam, its sources, its culture and political aims. Christine Schirrmacher, born 1962 (MA in Islamic Studies 1988, Dr. phil. Islamic Studies 1991 at University of Bonn) has studied Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu and is presently Professor of Islamic Studies at the “Evangelisch-Theologische Faculteit” (Protestant University) in Leuven/Belgium and also teaches at the State University of Bonn/Germany. She is director of the International Institute of Islamic Studies of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and its German counterpart, the “Institut für Islamfragen“ of the German, Swiss and Austrian Evangelical Alliances, as well as the speaker on Islam for WEA. She lectures on Islam and security issues to governments and security agencies, is author of several books on Islam, islamism, sharia and family issues in Islam, has visited many countries of the Muslim world and is engaged in current dialogue initiatives, like the conference “Loving God and Neighbour in Word and Deed: Implications for Muslims and Christians” of the Yale Centre for Faith and Culture, Yale University, New Haven/Connecticut, in 2008.