Historian of the Middle East Will Lecture at Baylor University

Follow us on Twitter: @BaylorUMedia
Media contact: Terry Goodrich, (254) 710-3321
WACO, Texas (Nov. 28, 2016) — Christian Sahner, Ph.D., historian of the Middle East and a Research Fellow at St. John’s College, University of Cambridge, will present a lecture on Wednesday, Nov. 30.
The lecture, hosted by the Institute for Studies of Religion, is titled “To Resist or Not? How Christians Responded to Living Under Early Muslim Rule” and will be at 3:30 p.m. in Room 152 of Draper Academic Building, 1420 S. Seventh St.
Sahner received a B.A. from Princeton University, an M.Phil. from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and a Ph.D. from Princeton. His work deals with the transition from late antiquity to the Islamic middle ages, relations between Muslims and Christians and the history of Syria and Iran.
Sahner has authored two books: “Among the Ruins: Syria Past and Present” and “Christian Martyrs Under Islam: Religious Violence and the Making of the Muslim World.”
“Dr. Christian Sahner is one of the world’s most cutting-edge scholars of the history and contemporary state of Muslim-Christian relations, especially regarding the Christian churches of the Middle East,” said Thomas Kidd, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of History and associate director of the Institute for Studies of Religion. “I cannot imagine a historical topic of more immediate relevance than what Dr. Sahner will be speaking on.”
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. For more information and to register, visit ISR.
by Kelsey Dehnel, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR STUDIES OF RELIGION

Launched in August 2004, the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) exists to initiate, support and conduct research on religion, involving scholars and projects spanning the intellectual spectrum: history, psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology, political science, epidemiology, theology and religious studies. The institute’s mandate extends to all religions, everywhere, and throughout history, and embraces the study of religious effects on prosocial behavior, family life, population health, economic development and social conflict. While always striving for appropriate scientific objectivity, ISR scholars treat religion with the respect that sacred matters require and deserve. For more information, visit www.baylorisr.org