This special subject investigates the formation of early Islam and the interactions between Islam, Judaism and Christianity in the late antique and early medieval Near East. We will follow how the minority Muslim rulers navigated relationships with the majority Jewish and Christian communities they ruled over through examining textual and archaeological primary sources. We will employ a multi-disciplinary approach, drawing upon the methodologies of history, archaeology, anthropology and theology, and will be exploring such topics as: the formation of Islamic law and the place of non-Muslims within it; when and how the Muslim profession of faith developed; the debate surrounding the licit or illicit nature of images within Islam and what it held in common with contemporary Christian and Jewish debates over images; historically shared beliefs, traditions and celebrations amongst Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities; ethnic tensions between Arab and non-Arab Muslims; inter-religious marriage; and conflicts between these communities and how they were resolved.
