Institut für Ökumenische und Interreligiöse Forschung

About the Center for Jewish and Islamic Theologies, Hermeneutics, Law and Education (JIF)

Theology, Hermeneutics, Law and Education

The Jewish-Islamic Research Centre aims to promote academic and social exchange between diverse perspectives (religious, theological, spiritual, religious studies, cultural, profane, etc.) of actors from Judaism and Islam. The strengthening of a discourse between Jews and Muslims aimed at critically reflective understanding is not understood as exclusive; rather, this discourse inherently refers to more general religious and social processes of understanding and debates about the development of our inherently diverse community.

Interreligious dialogue has intensified worldwide, and especially in Germany, in recent decades. In addition to establishing communicative proximity, this dialogue is beginning to bear not only scientific fruit, but also important social fruit. However, this dialogue - if we focus on that between the so-called Abrahamic religions - has so far almost exclusively involved Judaism and Christianity or Islam and Christianity. Dialogue between Jews and Muslims, on the other hand, is still a desideratum. It is not only the historical and theological points of contact between Judaism and Islam that call for research and discussion of the similarities and differences between the two religious and cultural traditions in line with academic standards; the development of a dialogue between the two is also urgently needed, especially from the perspective of current controversial social and political problems. The discourse space of the University, and in particular the Tübingen Campus of Theologies, offers an ideal anchorage for this discussion, a discourse space in which it can unfold in a critically reflective manner in order to stimulate public debate from there.

Against this background, the Jewish-Islamic Research Centre aims to promote interreligious dialogue between Jews and Muslims as well as the joint critical examination of Jewish and Muslim sources in such a way that academic and social concerns mutually stimulate each other and ultimately lead to a more comprehensive interreligious question that also includes other religions. The critical anamnesis of the interrelationships between Judaism and Islam thus aims to remove the ground from the mutual attributions of imaginary identities that underpin the ideological discourses of the present and to establish a positive dialogue in the joint appropriation of historical and cultural experiences.
The Jewish-Islamic Research Centre is unprecedented in the German-speaking world and, with its cooperative anchoring, represents a unique selling point that possesses a high level of competence and charisma in terms of content and methodology.

Key scientific perspectives

Since the founding of the community of believers in Medina, Jewish and Muslim history has been characterised by close links, which have led to deep and still insufficiently researched interactions in the fields of hermeneutics and jurisprudence, theology, philosophy and education. These interactions, which mark moments of rapprochement and demarcation, must be explored academically in joint efforts with recognised experts in a way that can also stimulate today's discourses on common foundations.

In particular, the research centre is initially focusing on the following points:

1. Research into the history and understanding of law in Jewish and Muslim history

In collaboration with experts, the JIF is dedicated to researching the Jewish and Muslim understanding of law in its historical development, focussing in particular on the interdependencies. This creates a basis for shedding light on the possible positions of both traditions in their encounter with liberal or (post-)secular modernity. Insofar as a central objective of the research centre is to reflect on the encounter between Jewish and Muslim legal traditions and liberal society, a particular focus will be placed on academic questions with a concrete social relevance, for example through studies on marriage and family law, gender role concepts and commercial law. Beyond the question of parallels and mutual influence in terms of content, the main focus will be on the fundamental question of the understanding of argumentation theory approaches and dynamics inherent in Judaism and Islam, in order to be able to pose the question of the possibility of new contextual situations on this basis.

 

2. Exploration of the theological-philosophical development and mutual influence

The theological-philosophical developments since the intensive Jewish-Muslim encounter in the Middle Ages call for intensive scrutiny with regard to the possibilities of engaging with the present. In this respect, historical studies of the reciprocal influence and, in part, the dependence of Jewish philosophy and theology on Islamic philosophy and theology would be an important starting point in order to remind us of the inner connection between the two traditions and to prevent misguided oppositions. Of concrete relevance here would be studies on how the traditions' conceptions of God and man are reflected in different concepts of universalism and particularism, as well as on the possibilities of conceiving secular or rather profane social spaces from Jewish and Muslim theology, or of developing concepts of secularisation or secularity that are not part of a Christian genealogy.
 

 

3. Analysing the similarities and differences with regard to educational and didactic approaches

Already in the early phase of Islam, parallels between Jewish and Muslim traditions in the field of education can be demonstrated, which are based on common philosophical and theological premises. In the early Middle Ages and the modern period, similarities between Muslim and Jewish educational goals and methods, but also in the philosophy of education, can be illustrated particularly in the writings of scholars such as Al-Ghazālī (d. 1111) and Maimonides (d. 1204). However, political events led to the collapse and decline of Jewish and Muslim educational cultures. These political developments also resulted in creeping anti-Semitism in parts of Muslim communities, which is also visible here in Germany. Conversely, the fronts have also hardened on the Jewish side. Especially in the German and European context, education can help to overcome these politically grown obstacles with the aim of respect and mutual appreciation and peaceful coexistence. Against the background of historical parallels, the work of the research centre aims to revive opportunities for cooperation and synergies between Jewish and Muslim educational approaches in pluralistic contexts in order to design educational programmes that focus on interreligious and ideological aspects and the handling of challenging topics.

 

4. Development of a doctoral programme

The establishment of a doctoral programme in which young Jewish and Muslim academics in particular, but not exclusively, can conduct research on topics in which Jewish-Muslim interdependencies are of central importance is an important concern of the JIF. In conjunction with the development of joint projects and courses, a Jewish-Muslim discourse is to be established that can open up new horizons through the diversity of perspectives in an exchange that recognises differences. Through the development of such a doctoral programme, young Jewish academics could also be increasingly integrated into the University of Tübingen, despite the lack of a corresponding institutional anchoring, for example in the form of a faculty or an institute for Jewish theology. Through cooperation with other faculties and institutes of the university, this Jewish-Muslim discourse should flow into the wider context of the Campus of Theologies, so that it can develop a polyphonic, argumentative network in which Jewish voices can contribute their scientific and educational-theoretical perspectives alongside Catholic, Protestant and Muslim voices.

 

Objectives between research and society

  • Academic research into Judaism and Islam in their connections, similarities and differences from the perspectives of theology, philosophy, law, history and religious education in collaboration with recognised experts; one focus of the research should be to raise awareness of the history of Jewish-Muslim relations with their strong hermeneutical, philosophical and theological interdependencies as a basis for understanding today;

  • Establishing a Jewish-Muslim dialogue on the basis of the aforementioned philosophical and theological interdependencies in order to enable joint intervention in more general interreligious debates in the face of current social and political challenges, not least (but not solely) with the aim of concerted action against Islamophobia and anti-Semitism;

  • Contributing to the further education and training of teachers, educators, students and multipliers (keyword: sensitisation), both from a theological perspective and with regard to the social situation of members of Judaism and Islam within German society;

  • Contributing to the provision of educational materials that highlight the historical and theological connections between Judaism and Islam and counteract the problematic view of a fundamental confrontation between Jewish and Islamic religion and culture that is widespread in relevant areas of the public and also in some Jewish and Muslim circles;

  • Co-operating with and supporting interfaith institutions and initiatives that are geared towards Jewish-Christian-Muslim understanding or that promote Jewish-Muslim relations in a wider interfaith and social context;

  • Organising conferences, workshops and publications on the aforementioned focal points; establishing an Internet presence through which the results of the research, statements and positions addressed are made available to the public.

In all areas of its work, the Research Centre aims to establish close links between academic research and social practice. The aim is to respond in a scientifically sound, adequate and professional manner to the social challenges that arise with regard to Jewish and Muslim positions in German society and the necessary integration processes within it, as well as the processes of recognition by the same.