Islamic Ecumenism In The 20th Century ― The Azhar And Shiism Between Rapprochement And Restraint

The aspiration for ecumenical rapprochement between Sunnis and Shiites after 1,300 of schism and antagonism began only at the end of the 19th century as part of the general pan-Islamic tendencies that were also germinating then. Brunner (Islamic studies, U. of Freiburg) describes the origin of that debate and traces its course through the 20th century. His discussion pivots on the changing relationship between Cairo's Azhar University, the most important center of Sunni scholarship, and the Shiite clergy. The German original of his study, Annaherung und Distanz. Schia, Azhar und die islamische Okumene im 20. Jahrhundert was published in 1996 by Klaus Schwarz Verlag, Berlin. It has been translated by Joe Greenman. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Rainer Brunner, Ph.D. (1996) in Islamic Studies, University of Freiburg, is Assistant Professor there. He has worked extensively on the history and doctrine of Twelver Shiism and on Sunni-Shiite relations. His publications include The Twelver Shia in Modern Times (ed. with Werner Ende; Brill, 2001).