It is 800 years since St Francis went to meet the Sultan in Egypt to speak about faith and common values. What can Catholic Christians learn about themselves and about Islam from dialogue today?
Fr Robert Afayori spoke at our busy event titled 'Jesus in the Koran' at the Gillis Centre in Edinburgh on Saturday. Click here to access the fantastic slides which illustrated his talk.
“Jesus Christ is the subject of controversy between Christians and Muslims,” says Fr Robert Afayori, getting straight to the point.
“Whereas Muslims perceive Him to be a prophet of Allah, for us He is the Son of God and saviour of the world.”
Many Catholics are unsure what Muslims believe about Jesus. Fr Robert wants to put that right. He says a better understanding of what the Koran says about Christ will help improve dialogue between the faiths.
And that’s why he’s hosting a talk next month in Edinburgh to discuss ‘Jesus in the Koran’.
Fr Afayori, parish priest at Our Lady Immaculate and St Margaret’s Church in Duns, will draw on his PhD research on the subject.
He said: “Between the two religions there has been, over centuries, a relationship of claim and counter-claim. Muslims…confess Him to be a prophet of God, and a prophet of God cannot be likened to God himself.
“So it can be controversial. Jesus is acknowledged by the two religions, but perceived in different ways.
“This event will try to highlight the commonality and differences between them and then put forward a new concept of dialogue as an exercise in learning.”
Jesus in the Koran, Saturday 9th November, 11am-3:30pm, Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh EH9 1BB. Tickets available on Eventbrite or by calling 0131 623 8900.