Dr. Deniz T. Zengin
Exclusive Interview: Professor Craig Considine is a scholar based at Rice University and he is one of the leading global voices in interfaith dialogue. The best–selling author of The Humanity of Muhammad – A Christian View (Blue Dome Press 2020), he is a practising Christian who calls for non-Muslims to love and cherish Islam. I had the pleasure of speaking to Mr. Craig about faith and unity in a divided world.
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What could you tell us about yourself, Mr. Considine?
I am a compassionate person who is easily moved by my emotions. I am also a deep thinker who frequently contemplates the mysteries of the world. The combination of my compassion and critical thinking skills provides me with balance and moderation. I am a lover of knowledge, wherever it might come from. I believe that a true education combines reading and writing with that of real world lived experiences. There is only so much you can learn about the world through articles and books. I am also deeply loyal to family and friends.
While churches and mosques have been built for centuries in close proximity to each other, the relationship between those who worship God inside these sacred houses of prayer has not always been as close. When did Mr. Considine commit itself to better relations between Muslims and Christians?
I committed myself to better relations between Muslims and Christians shortly after entering Professor Akbar Ahmed’s classroom at American University in Washington, DC. The year was 2004. The USA had just experienced 9/11 and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq had recently occurred. Muslims and Islam were regularly in the news. Professor Ahmed gave me a a new way of seeing the world. He convinced me of the importance of bridge building, conflict resolution, interfaith dialogue, and ultimately peacemaking. My journey started out of a love for the power of knowledge. That is what still keeps me going today.
Islam maintains that the word of God is final and we can’t change it. Christianity, with its understanding of the dynamic presence of the Holy Spirit. is in constant flux. Where do you stand on this difference?
I certainly believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe because I have felt its presence, for better and worse, throughout my life. I believe that God’s relationship with our planet and human beings at large is an on-going process. God gave human beings free will and the intellect to decipher and critically examine the world around us. In essence, God is not dead. God is always giving “udpates” to the human experience and to life itself. I do not believe either Christianity or Islam, as we currently understand them, have the “final revelations.” In summary, God is not done with us yet.
What do you think of the Qur’anic statement that the Old Testament has been changed, thus accounting for some of the differences between the Abrahamic faiths?
I trust the many scholars who have studied this issue throughout their entire life. The consensus, as I understand it through the Christian perspective, is that there is significant continuity between the Bible of the early centuries of Christianity and the Bible that Christians read today. So I do not agree with the popular “Islamic argument” that the Old and New Testaments have been altered and thus distorted. It is a weak narrative, in my humble opinion.
What about the attitude of Muhammad (peace be upon him) towards women?
We can learn a lot about Muhammad’s views on women if we simply consider the relationship that he had with Khadija and Aisha. Khadija was an independent, influential, and powerful women with a high status in seventh century Meccan society. Aisha had many of the same attributes and qualities. How could Muhammad be married to these women and then advocate fort he oppression of women? He would be a hypocrite if he did that. And we know that he was not a hypocrit or a person who minced his words.
What do different religions of the world teach us about peace? How important is religion to understanding peace?
My view is that peace is the ultimate aim of all the world religions. Each religion has its own unique way of bringing people to peace. Let me be clear that I am not claiming that “all religions are the same,” but there are certainly overarching principles like peace-seeking among the religions across the globe. Personally, I believe that peace is the cornerstone of Christianity. The Christian belief system allows me to be at peace with myself, but it also enables me to be at peace with the other human beings around me.
What about war? Terrorism, for example, can be considered both unislamic and unchristian. Do you think violence can be part of faith?
Violence has always been a part of faith and religion. With that said, Christianity and Islam are obviously not monoliths. There will be people who identify themselves as Christian and Muslim who wage war on each other. But the actions of these people, and the interpretations of faith that come with them, are subjective. Can people read the Bible or Qur’an and be motivated to engage in violence? Sure they can. Christians and Muslims, however, can also read their holy texts and fall in love with peacemaking. My ultimate concern rests with the feelings and mindsets that people bring with them before they engage with the sacred texts. Religion can motivate one to carry out heinous acts, but there is so much more going on inside one’s heart and mind. Faith is one aspect of the complicated phenomenon that is violence justified through religion.
What can Islam teach Christianity? And what can Christianity teach Islam?
Personally, Muslims have enriched my faith by encouraging me to be more steadfast in my practice. This includes engaging in prayer, caring about humanity at large, and being humble before God. Christians and Christianity at large can offer Muslims a glimpse into the life and legacy of Jesus, who is revered in the Qur’an (and same with his mother, Mary, for that matter).
What do you think the Bible and the Qur’an have in common? And what is the key teaching of Islam and Christianity?
At their core the Bible and the Qur’an are intended to bring salvation and ultimately peace to human beings, which are two key principles that unite the Christian and Islamic traditions. While each text offers different commandments and recommendations along the way, they are both ultimately trying to get people into the same spot – heaven.
