Full Description
In a world where almost all societies are multi-religious and multi-ethnic, we need to study how social cohesion can be achieved in different contexts. In some geographical areas, as in the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, people of different religious belonging have, through the ages, lived side by side, sometimes in harmony and sometimes in dissonance. In other geographical regions, as in Scandinavia, societies have been quite religiously homogeneous but only recently challenged by immigration. In both locations the relations between religious minority and majority are very much on the agenda. In order to discuss the situation for non-Muslims in Muslim majority societies, a consultation was convened with both Muslim and Christian participants from Pakistan, Palestine, Lebanon, and Sweden. Some of the participants work in academic settings, others in faith-based organisations, some in jurisprudence and others with theological issues. Non-Muslims in Muslim Majority Societies is the result of that consultation. The intention of the book is to trigger reflection and further thinking, through papers that discuss issues such as freedom of religion, minority rights, secular and religious legislation, and inter-religious dialogue in Muslim majority societies. Although the articles are presented as 'works in progress' and remain tentative in many of their conclusions, this book is an important contribution to the global debate over religious tolerance and religious pluralism.
Contents
Contributors
Introduction -Kajsa Ahlstrand and Göran Gunner
1. The Status of Christians in the Islamic Worldview -Mustafa Abu Sway
2. The Problem of Jurisdiction in the Contemporary Nation-State -Jan Hjärpe
3. The Use of the Concept Minority: A Protection or a Burden in Relation to International Law -Göran Gunner
4. Non-Muslim in Middle Eastern Muslim Societies -Guirguis Ibrahim Saleh
5. Faith Based Organizations and the Configuration of Civil Society in the MENA-perspective -Johan Gärde
6. The Status of Non-Muslims in a Palestinian State -Bernard Sabella
7. Managing Christian-Muslim Relations in Pakistani Setting -Mehboob Sada
8. Non-Muslim Women in Pakistan: Minority within Minority -Yasmin Haider
9. Islamization of Laws in Pakistan and its Effect on Minorities -M. Aslam Khaki
10. Non-Muslims in an Islamic State: A Case Study of Pakistan -Ahmad Salim
11. Possible Strategies for Religious Communities under Threat -Kajsa Ahlstrand
Bibliography
