Conclusion

Summary

Christians and Muslims disagree on issues of profound import regarding the nature of God’s revelation, the extent to which divine law is a sufficient response to the human condition, and the relationship between the divine rule and political power. These differences and the various scriptural, historical, and cultural contexts that have shaped them have created differing political and legal models – both within and between the traditions. They have also produced ample polemics and misunderstandings that continue to inhibit cross-religious understanding and debate. Islam often remains Christianity’s “theological enemy.” Even more recent sympathetic engagements with Islam, such as those by Hans Küng or Miroslav Volf, often either dismiss or avoid discussions of sharī‘a. More common, however, are continued tropes that interpret Islam and political theology exclusively in light of its most ardent state-centric Islamists.¹