Interfaith Dialogue Key to Better Future

As Found in New Book "Oil and Water"

Listen to any news broadcast today and the message comes through loud and clear: Islam is a religion of violence and behind every Muslim there lurks a potential terrorist. Islam is a threat to values of the Christian West. They are like oil and water. Clearly, they don’t mix.

Dr. Amir Hussain, a Canadian Muslim and author of Oil and Water: Two Faiths, One God confronts these popular perceptions head-on. Hussain’s new book challenges readers to discover constructive and creative ways of relating with each other.

Says Marley Klaus, Former 60 Minutes producer, “Amir Hussain is a lucid, gentle, but provocative new voice, one that needs to be heard. He offers fresh insight into the increasingly complex interplay of religion and society and is uniquely qualified to act as a bridge between the West and Islam. For anyone who wants or needs to understand more about Islam and its relationship with Christianity, I can think of no better place to begin than with Oil and Water.”

Hussain has given lectures on Islam to many communities. He has often been asked “why the Qur’an was a book of violence, why Muslims were intolerant of non-Muslims, and why Muslims have not condemned terrorism?” Hussain finds the questions often come from ignorance and misunderstanding of what Islam is truly about.

Although they may not legitimately reflect the beliefs or behaviors of most people in their communities, extremist and fundamentalist elements have assumed a pre-eminent role as leaders or representatives for many of the world religions in the past decade. These extremist forces tend to oppose dialogue and erect obstacles to understanding.

The hope of Oil and Water is readers will find a place where the truth and value of each of these great faith traditions can be recognized and honoured by the other. In the end, the metaphor of oil and water is an interesting one for the reality of conflict and the hope for reconciliation between Islam and Christian today.

DR. AMIR HUSSAIN, a Canadian Muslim, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University, where he teaches courses on world religions. His area of specialty is the study of Islam, focusing on contemporary Muslim societies.