Knowing our neighbour

the long version

In a world where religion is either frozen cold or exploding into flames, Christians and Muslims of good will must be ready to stand side by side. But mutual recognition must be hard-headed and sober, based on respect that grows out of firm understanding of the other's otherness: hence the need for this book. Here, Albert Walters takes Christians through fourteen centuries of Islamic history, the fundamentals of Muslim belief and practice, and the vivid diversity that makes up the Islamic world. He opens windows to show significant differences between Islam and Christianity, and helps the interested reader to make the first step of understanding and appreciation. Building on this, he deftly examines the history of Islam in his country Malaysia, and then discusses the difficulties between Christians and Muslim with realism and due concern for all the misapprehensions and misgivings that haunt moves to come closer together. At the end, he provides hints of how closeness can be attempted through systematic cooperation and the pre-requirement of respect and esteem for what is different. This book deserves to be read carefully by Christians who are concerned about impaired interfaith relationships, and to be studied by those who try to see God in the other, and also by those who do not. Prof Dr David Thomas Centre for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, University of Birmingham, UK