Stuart Brown

"The nearest in affection those who believe", accor ing to the Quran, "are the ones who say, 'We are Christians." Yet in many parts of the world where Christians and Muslims live side by side, the reality of their relationship falls far short of that ideal. Suspi-cions and fears arise from ignorance of each other's history, beliefs and practices often leading to ten-sions and open conflict. This short introduction to Islam for Christians offers a wide-ranging overview of what Muslims believe and where their beliefs and practices reveal points of contact or divergence with Christianity. It thus provides both an agenda and a solid foundation for strengthened and respectful encounters between members of the world's two largest faith groups.

Stuart Brown, a lay member of the Anglican Church of Canada, has many years of experience as a student and teacher of Islam and a partici-pant in dialogue, both formal and informal, between Christians and Muslims. From 1983 to 1988 he was secretary for Christian-Muslim rela-tions in the World Council of Churches.