Consortium for Christian–Muslim Dialogue
The Consortium for Christian–Muslim Dialogue (CCMD) was commissioned by the Dean of Liberal Arts in 2009 to promote healthy and peaceful Christian–Muslim relations in both the United States and Africa. The Consortium consists of faculty from several schools within the University, each sharing the resources of his or her discipline in order that the group may explore the social, cultural, economic, philosophical, historical, political, and religious roots of and solutions to interreligious conflicts.
In accord with Duquesne’s mission, we seek to work with academic, religious, and social institutions here and abroad to end interreligious conflicts. Both single-handedly and collaborating with University offices, departments, and centers and with outside entities, CCMD has organized well received lectures, workshops, and symposia, as described in our brochure.
While Africa and the United States remain special concerns of CCMD, we try to recognize and respond to each new opportunity for fostering dialogue. For that reason, we design courses and have created an undergraduate minor in Interreligious Studies, so that our work of peace will continue after us and spread wherever our alumni may find themselves. We also sponsor the Interfaith Student Organization (IFSO).
Bonnie Thurston on Charles de Foucauld
In joyful anticipation of the canonization of Charles de Foucauld on May 15, CCMD hosted Dr. Bonnie Thurston for a lecture on his life and his approach to inter-religious relations.
Her talk, “A Christian Presence in a Muslim Home: The Inter-faith Etiquette of Charles de Foucauld,” took place in the Power Center Ballroom and via livestream on Thursday, March 31, with Fr. Bill Christy moderating the discussion.
Dr. Thurston, formerly William F. Orr Professor of New Testament at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, has written Hidden in God: Discovering the Desert Vision of Charles de Foucauld (Ave Maria Press, 2016), which was named among the Best Spiritual Books of 2016 by Spirituality & Practice. She has also authored three articles on Blessed Charles and many other books of theology and poetry, including To Everything a Season: A Spirituality of Time (Crossroad/Wipf and Stock, 1999), Shaped by the End You Life For: Thomas Merton’s Monastic Spirituality (Liturgical Press, 2020), and St. Mary of Egypt: A Modern Verse Life and Interpretation (Liturgical Press, 2021).
Interreligious Thanksgiving Dinner 2021:
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Fruitful Interreligious Dialogue, 2019 symposium:
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Religions and the Welfare of Refugees, April 2019:
Drs. Salman and Iwuchukwu with their collaborators present gift cards to the director of AJAPO at our recent interfaith gathering.
The members of the Consortium are
- Dr. Marinus Iwuchukwu, Chair (Theology)
- Dr. James Swindal (Philosophy)
- Dr. Khlood Salman (Nursing)
- Dr. Gerald Boodoo (Director, Center for African Studies)
- Dr. Elochukwu Uzukwu (Theology)
- Dr. Thérèse Bonin (Philosophy)
- Dr. Gita Maharaja (advising)
- Prof. Rona Kaufman Kitchen (Law)
2015
- On 18 November, we considered religion and music: Prof. Sadık Kara (Fatih University, Istanbul) spoke on “The Use of Music in Islam,” and Fr. Stephen Concordia, O.S.B. (Saint Vincent College) discussed “Music in Christian Life: The Expressive Power of the Word.”
2016
- On 19 January, Mais Haddad, Esq., a Syrian native, described the plight of Syrian Christian immigrants and refugees; the text of her talk and her slides are also available.
- On 16 February, Dr. Basel Termanini, vice president of the Syrian American Medical Society, spoke on the crisis of Syrian refugees.
- On 9 March, panelists Haider Ala Hamoudi, Mark Haas, and David Harris-Gershon, with moderator Luke Peterson, discussed Abrahamic Religions and the Middle East.
- David Harris-Gershon has graciously shared the notes he made in preparation.
- Haider Ala Hamoudi has generously allowed us to post the draft of a paper he is preparing for publication and upon which he based his remarks.
- The article upon which Dr. Haas based his contributions is under copyright but may be consulted through e-Journals: Mark L. Haas, “Reinhold Niebuhr’s ‘Christian Pragmatism:’ A Principled Alternative to Consequentialism,” The Review of Politics 61.4 (Fall 1999): 605–36.
- On 5 October, panelists Mark Haas and Ihsan Colak, with moderator Clifford Bob, discussed Religion and Democracy.
- On 2 November 2016, the Rev. Robert Dowd (Notre Dame) and Elaine Linn (Pitt) discussed ‘Christian–Muslim Relations Here & Abroad: How People’s Faith Guides Their Lives.’
2017
- On 29 November, panelists Suhail Abboushi, James Bailey, Bernadette Paolo, and Nihat Polat, with moderator Barbara Murock, discussed Migration and Policies on Immigration: Economic, Political, Legal, Cultural, and Moral Implications.
2021
- On 3 March, Brian Dougherty presented What Is Religion? Church and State, Religious Boundaries, Belonging and Exclusion. Recordings here and here.
- On 18 March, George Yancy and panelists Rona Kaufman Kitchen, Will Adams, Jesse Washington, Sangeeta Chakravorty, Kamal Shlbei, and Anna Floerke Scheid held a webinar on Racial Equity and Religions.
- On 22 April, Brian Dougherty discussed Crossing the Boundaries between Islam and Christianity in Egypt: An Anthropological Exploration of Challenges and Insights posed by Religious Conversion and the Quest for Truth(s).
- Duquesne’s Gumberg Library provides an Islamic Studies Research Guide and a guide to Christian–Muslim dialogue
- CERIS, the Consortium for Educational Resources on Islamic Studies, of which Duquesne is a member
To be notified of our events, please fill out our simple form. If you wish to contact us, our address is ccmd@duq.edu.