Islam, its Emergence and Development in a Judaic and Christian Context

The Interfaith Council of Westport and Weston continues its series of contemporary issues programs with a presentation by Westport resident and New York University professor of Islamic Studies, Sarah Tunney entitled: Islam, its Emergence and Development in a Judaic and Christian Context. 

Following the program we will gather for conversation and refreshments. 

This lecture considers the historical emergence of Islam, from the 7th century deserts of Arabia populated by Christians, Jews and pagans, and the prophet who led it, to its rapid expansion across the Middle East, North Africa and southern Europe in the following centuries.

Questions that the lecture poses include: What did this new religion have in common with the Jewish, Christian and pagan traditions of the time?  What of those traditions did it alter or eliminate? What were the immediate political implications of the beginnings of this new religion?

Sarah Tunney, PhD (ABD) earned her Bachelor of Arts in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Yale University, graduating cum laude in 1998. She moved to Westport in 2005, where she still resides with her husband and sons. Sarah and her family are active members of Saint Luke parish in Westport and a member of the Interfaith Council. 

Interfaith Council programs are designed to promote a climate of understanding and respect for the many religious traditions in our world today.