The Modern Scholar: Islam and the West

Islam and Christianity share remarkable similarities and differences. Both are relatively recent religions, with Christianity taking hold in Northern Europe at about the same time that Islam took hold in the Persian world, although Christianity appeared on the scene six centuries before Islam. Through the years, Islam and Christianity and the civilizations they created have influenced each other to greater and lesser extents in terms of arts, sciences, culture, and medicine. The Crusades produced the most violent confrontation of the two worlds, but it is also important to note the effect of Christian missionaries on Islam, as well as Islamic science and literature on the West. In light of the threat of terrorism in the new world order of the 21st century, it is imperative that the West and the Islamic world improve their understanding of each other's respective cultures. This course, by Seyyed Hossein Nast, Professor of Islamic Studies at The George Washington University, is conceived to reveal the interaction of these two religions and civilizations throughout their histories, highlight their similarities and differences and finally show that Muslim's and Christians share much common ground, especially of morality, life issues and family.