The Variable Role of Culture in the Interfaith Dialogue between Muslims and Christians

Religious interactions of the past decades are dominated by interactions based on emphasis on coexistence and peace in order to end the theological challenges and conflicts between followers of religions. Among these religions, the followers of Abrahamic religions also follow this policy in the form of forming different institutes of religious dialogue. Through this, they strive to contribute to religious diplomacy in the international arena the result of which is lasting peace and security between the followers of different religions. However, there are many different reasons why challengers are created in the path of this policy which influence the attainment of this goal. One of these reasons is the lack of attention to the civil and ethnic background of those doing dialogue which is studies in the form a part of the culture of a region and people. The apparent temporal, spatial, social, cultural, and political conditions of such thought and the type of perception of religion of the people engaging in dialogue and their explanations they present of it based on their priorities are different depending on their culture and ethnic backgrounds. To study this issue, one must first study the views of the experts on this topic and considering the emphasis of this dissertation on the followers of Islam and Christianity and the question it seeks to answer regarding the changing role of culture in the interactions between Muslims and Christians, the view of each of these religions regarding the religious other is presented and thereafter, the activities of the three formal and active centers in the area of religious dialogue are studied and analyzed. Their religious documents in the interactions between Muslims and Christians are studied with the approach of analyzing their attention to the discussion of ethnicity and civil backgrounds. Finally, the ethnic challenges of Muslims and Christians in Nigeria and Muslims and Buddhists in Myanmar are studies as two instances that are connected to the topic. In conclusion, some solutions to paying attention to this category in the dialogues between Muslims and Christians are presented.