Present relations between Sunnis and Shi‘is are tense. The last decades have borne witness to a global wave of sectarian animosities and conflict. Yet, this was not the spirit that moved Mahmud Shaltut, rector of al-Azhar University in Cairo, in 1959. His fatwa from that year gave Muslims the liberty to switch between all four Sunni schools of law and the Shi‘i one. A true ecumenical moment. How did it come about? What has happened since then? In this seminar, we will explore the developments of Shi’i Islam since the 19th century. How do instances of Shi’i piety differ from Lebanon to Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan? What caused sectarian conflicts in the modern period and how can we make sense of their political dimensions? Which efforts existed to “fix” the Sunni-Shi’i relationship?
- Teacher: סיימון פוקס