Islam and Christianity

The sacred writings and teachings of Islam and Christianity contain a wealth of teachings about the key moments of life: its beginning, its end, and the relationships that give it much of its meaning.

Recent advances in scientific research and technological sophistication have raised totally new possibilities for deciding about birth and death. It is now often a simple matter to choose when and how to have children, and when and how to die. At the same time, attitudes towards relationships and the expectations surrounding them have altered, giving rise to new approaches towards marriage, partnership, the family and community. These changes challenge the received teachings of the faiths.

What do the long-respected teachings of Islam and Christianity say about the key moments that affect the lives of all human beings?
How are these teachings challenged by developments in laboratory techniques and in social experimentation?

Are they relevant to current medical research and prevailing social norms? If so, how?

In order to map the problems and to begin to search for answers, three annual Christian-Muslim conferences have been organised. They are sponsored and hosted jointly by:

The Al-Mahdi Institute of Islamic Studies, Birmingham, UK
The Centre for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, University of Birmingham, UK
The UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

The topics are expected to include:

� the nature of marriage in Christian and Muslim teachings

� the responsibility of partners within marriage

� the rights of marriage partners over one another

� divorce and children of divorce

� stable partnerships outside marriage: same-sex relationships