Graduate Student, Theology and Religious Studies
Centre for the Study of Islam
Thesis Title: Exploring the subjectivity of theological language of ‘love’ and its relationship upon religious legal frameworks in Christian-Muslim discourse.
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Professor Mona Siddiqui
Professor Werner Jeanrond |
About
I am fascinated, in short, by what makes people tick. Why do people think, act and speak in certain ways –particularly in relation to ‘the religious other.’ Growing up in Belfast it was clear that what makes people tick has consequences –for better or worse. In my youth, I was both captivated and horrified by the false stereotypes held by various Christian denominations in relation to how they understood and perceived members of other Christian denominations. Especially lamentable was the role these false stereotypes played in perpetuating distrust and preventing peace and reconciliation efforts. As such, I was particularly interested in the factors that maintain false stereotypes in the face of theoretical or experiential epistemology that directly challenges it. The desire to understand the role of religious stereotyping in conflicted societies subsequently lead me to focus on the nature of Christian doctrine during my undergraduate programme. This gradually saw a development in the direction of interfaith studies, specifically, Christian-Muslim. My M.Th. (res) was entitled 'Latin Christian Historical and Theological Perceptions of Islam: 1100-2000.'
My present research carries these interests into the Christian-Muslim discourse by exploring the relationship between love and law in Islam and Christianity. The catalyst for this was the 'A Common Word' (2007) initiative that emphasized ‘love of God’ and ‘love of neighbour’ as a common ground for dialogue and cooperation between the two traditions. Building on this, I aim to investigate how ‘love of God’ and ‘love of neighbour’ are actualised within both traditions. How do these religious traditions practice love? Christianity is often generalised as a religion of love and yet the command to love, is exactly that, a commandment. Can one be commanded to love? What is the relationship between the vast corpora of canon law and love? Equally, 'A Common Word' explicitly argues that ‘love of God’ and ‘love of neighbour’ play an important role in Islam. Yet Islam is frequently characterised as a religion of law. What therefore is the relationship between Islamic law and love? What dialogical potential is there for a critical discussion of these themes between Christianity and Islam? What is the relationship between law and love?
Besides this major research question, I also have strong interest in Middle Eastern Studies having visited the region numerous times. In 2007 I was the chosen scholar for 'The Society of the Friends of St Andrews, Jerusalem' spending a month conducting research into various faith-based and ‘secular’ reconciliatory organisations throughout Israel and the West Bank. More recently I obtained a Diploma in 'Political Sciences and Middle Eastern Studies' from the Galilee College in 2009. In my spare time, I am taking classes to learn Modern Standard and Classical Arabic here in Glasgow.
